Wonders of the World
by dauwtrappen
Summary: Thames just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and now the poor soul can't leave this mad crew because of a misunderstanding. (I'm an artist, a painter! Not a musician!) Insanity ensues and Thames can't help but either submit to the Straw Hats' dictatorship (Sheeple, the whole bunch of them), or commit suicide. FYI, suicide sounds good. OC
1. The Good Samaritan was punished

**Wonders of the World**

 **Tale no. 1**

 _"The Good Samaritan was punished in the end"_

 ** _._**

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* * *

The concept of being a good child had never been something they were prone to exhibit, the term too foreign during their childhood. Despite being awkward and unable to understand- _slow at understanding_ human behaviors, Thames could easily pass off as timid and would not be further bothered, because the belief that the child would get out of that stage was far greater than the knowledge of the child being a total failure at interacting with humans.

It was doubtful whether Thames was aware of this belief, seeing as they rarely expressed anything remotely intelligent but if there was one useful thing from their constant staring it was that Thames could imitate quite efficiently – Thames could _act_ like a good child.

However, this allowed a few dire situations such as _the fire_ , _the shipwreck,_ and _the demolition_ where Thames happened to be the main protagonist, or as the townspeople said: the menace. The child was stoked one could say, because now they had a title everyone would refer to. Thames's mother did not have the heart to tell what it meant while the child puffed out their chest and preened under the townspeople's glares.

It was not until Thames browsed through a dictionary that they understood what it was and instead of greeting the other kids with a smile for every "Menace!" that came out of their mouths, Thames became a terror and sent several kids home with nightmares for a childhood and more.

Aside from struggling to kill the reflex of responding to "Menace", Thames had a hard time being astute and was often, if not always, subjected to their fellow peers' pranks. In short, the child had a severe case of gullibility.

Their gullibility turned into distrust and the child could never bring up the courage to eat a pie ever again. (This marked a sad future for the young Thames, knowing that they would one day meet a chef that would kick their ass for refusing food.)

On another note, it was during their childhood days that Thames slowly became accustomed to human mannerisms, learned to understand all their imitations, and could soon enough genuinely express themselves.

Although, whether genuinely expressing dislike and contempt was a good thing, was questionable. However, that did not mean Thames was unable to convey positivity, quite the opposite to be honest. They found joy following after frogs in creeks, were remarkably fascinated by snails and their houses, and were fond of fairy tales, fairy tales that would come to life far easier than raising one – Thames would know, already being classified as a mass murderer at the age of three when they brought a handful of barely hatched tadpoles into their bed.

(Hopefully, fairy tales would expand Thames's views on everything in general.)

* * *

One would expect that a preteen Thames would have learned something from their younger days, but that may have been an overestimation as the concept of being a good Samaritan fell on deaf ears. Thames was not really to blame, although most of the ordeals that unveiled in Reveriel had been because of them, because the preteen would only be helpful when it benefited them. None knew how Thames had gotten this habit, not that many invested time to get acquainted with them, but if clocks and candles could become sentient in fairy tales said habit could very well come from the same.

This way of thinking grew uglier and soon turned into a beast as the villagers' whispers grated on the preteen's ears. This led to an awareness of the natural course of change and soon enough Thames was tamed, reformed into something far better. In theory only, though, because this help would be detrimental to the villagers' beliefs if it were to be revealed.

Thames, wanting to preach their fake enlightenment outside Reveriel, earned everyone's blessing and soon sailed to other places to cause the same or worse mayhem. The preteen at that time may or may not have known that it was their way of telling Thames "Good riddance", but they could not have been bothered to care. They had lives to mess up with.

But this help was not solely a lie because the habit did change, Thames did learn compassion; albeit reluctantly, which would turn into guilt if the preteen ignored a cry for help.

At the peak of being a teen or the young adult they wanted to be called as, Thames had managed concepts, thoughts, and things and was notorious for their underground management. Slightly embarrassed, because that was another act Thames had learned by heart, they remained silent of their accomplishments and emerged among citizens that were unsuspecting of their very being.

However, it was one of those fine days were the weather was too good to be true that curiosity took them over and burned them harshly.

Thames had not expected much from such an establishment, having quit their business with them since long ago, but when the teen had slipped in to observe the slaves for the day, they had been dragged to their demise by a lagomorph smaller than their hand. Thames did not mean to shriek in the midst of the auction but when their yell reverberated the place, all thoughts of apologizing turned into fight or flight as the slavers chased after the teen.

In order to get out safely and away from the island, Thames caused another ruckus by nicking the keys from a nearby guard and throwing them to the slaves after having accidentally gutted said guard. Inadvertently helping someone would usually not have been a headache if it were not for a slave half their size begging them for help in exchange for Thames's forgotten art equipment.

Thames had obviously refused and had no qualms of killing a child before they did a double take on the girl. The teen had reluctantly accepted as they stared into the eyes of a rabbit as they slung the bag over their shoulder, never breaking eye contact with the animal. They had now become an escort for a kid and her pet that was too far from her home and Thames wondered if this was a punishment curiosity dished out to sinners like themselves.

(Most likely, it was just a series of events that happened to Thames's poor decisions.)

* * *

Thames let go of the pen while rubbing his eyes, a yawn barely escaping from him as he set aside the book to dry. Too tired to get up from his seat and turn in for the day, the artist leaned forward over the table, arms sneaking in under his head to make his sleeping position comfortable as much as possible. His gaze skimmed over the drying letters as the thought of leaving Logue Town fluttered absently across his mind before he settled for a _yes, he would._

Teeth worrying on his inner lip, Thames wondered if she would laugh if she were to read his excerpt, but he closed his eyes as if to say no before the ticking of a clock lulled him to sleep.

 _Too soon, not yet._

* * *

 **A/N:** Aha, ahahahaaha, ha. I'm sorry for various things. Most likely because of the major lack of updates (which shall be rectified because summer is upon us), but also because of my flighty usernames (I am fickle, what did you expect.) (It has almost been a year what am I doing with my life)

Another thing that I would apologize for is this fuckery. Because of the story-building I'm currently doing, it would be rather hard to grasp Thames as a "person" as a reader I think, which is why I made this little prologue. This kinda tell you what Thames was up to before the Strawhats's presence. To be honest, I just wanted to belittle my character as much as possible, I think I did well enough but I could probably bullshit about a couple of other things.

The chapters may be a bit awkward to read through right now which I'm gonna fix, because I can't live with the thought of me messing up my writing. Again. Argh. So, uh, accept this crap while I edit the chapters and write a new one. It's in the making but I can't promise a date yet...

Before I go, I just wanted to say **thank you** to every single one of you who has read, favorited and reviewed a fic that was seemingly abandoned/dead, it warms my cold heart so much that you gave Thames a chance. If you have questions just ask in any way you see fit :)

I'll now take responsibility and work my ass off so I can write chapter 4 (uh 5 I guess because this count as a chapter humph), but until then, **happy reading folks!**

 **-Nart**


	2. This wasn't supposed to happen

**A/N:** Beware of potential OOC behavior, OC, stupidity, and the basic elements of The-author-fucked-up-the-canon-kill-it-with-fire. Proceed at your own risk. And pray for your sanity, because this writer lost theirs.

 **Wonders of the World**

 **Draft no. 1 **

_"This wasn't supposed to happen"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

Currently on the big vast blue, ships under different occupations were sailing around. Some of these were for fishery, a handful were of the marines and a few strays were marked with a Jolly Roger. A fairly new ship with the head of a goat as figurehead was approaching the island that indicated they were close to Grand Line. What drew them to this island was mostly for preparations, but one never said no to a visit to Logue Town whenever the opportunity came. And if the captain aboard had something to say, it would be a **_Yes!_** to see the execution place of Gold Roger.

* * *

 ** _No._**

"Thank you so much!" A man with graying hairs said joyfully, shaking hands with the one who'd helped them. The helper, a white haired teen, had an exasperated look and was absently listening, paying more attention to his nails. "I can't thank you enough! We'll forever be indebted to you!" The helper was about to reply when the sound of bells and light footsteps came downstairs and greeted them.

"Eh? Thames-nii, you're leaving already? Don't go yet!" A child begged and hugged the leg of Thames tightly, as if to say she was an anchor and the teen the ship. Thames glanced down at the child and then at the animal that had been gnawing on the walls ever since it came down. What a nasty rabbit it was.

"I really should-" but before the sentence was finished, the girl decided to tackle their helper to the ground. What she didn't take into consideration was that she was too light and small to take Thames down, making her cling onto the torso of the teen as she whined. "Don't go! Stay with me!" _Dramatic much?_

"Now now, Dora! Don't be like that!" The shrill voice of a woman resounded through the room. "Thames is far too busy to save children! And you need to let go of him, dear."

"No, I don't want to!" Thames had said that _too_ when a child, definitely the same child in this household, was asking for help. It was because of idiocy that Thames reluctantly agreed to escort the child back to her hometown and waste a large portion of his free time. If the teen just hadn't passed by that auction house, ransacked it due to curiosity and got interested in the child, none of this would have happened. That was a year wasted on doing the _right_ thing. A resigned horror flushed onto the teen's face as realization hit hard. Interested in the child? That sounded wrong. Ew.

"-Do you understand, Dora?" Thames snapped back to reality and looked down to a teary-eyed child, snot running past her mouth. Thoughts of tissues ran through the teen's mind absently. The gray-haired man, presumably the grandfather, continued to lecture her. After a couple of minutes of bawling and whines, the message seemed to get trough Dora as she nodded tiredly, wanting to be left alone with Thames for some final words.

The teen crouched down to the child's eye level with a sigh, beckoning her to come closer with a finger. As the girl approached, she opened her mouth once again, snot getting into it. "I don't want you to go..."

"Really now?" She sniffed and the teen absently lent her a tissue.

"I'm going to miss you lots!"

"Please, don't."

"And Mr. Chopstick (by the way, can I change its name?) is going to be lonely when you're not here!" The teen glanced at the rabbit and shrugged slightly, not caring.

"Don't you _dare_ ", Thames said, "Get another one. Or eat the beast and it won't be lonely." Dora looked horrified and decided to hit the teen in the head with clenched fists, upset by his words.

"Monster! You can't eat something fluffy like that!"

"True. It would be bad for my indigestion", the teen said honestly, earning another punch to the head. _Ow._

"You're so mean, _sis!_ "

"I should have let you become a slave the very moment I saw you."

"Sorry", Dora said with a pout, earning a ruffle to her hair.

"As long as you don't mention a Dare in this town, it's nothing." Thames stood up and headed to the front door, not glancing back once.

* * *

 _ **D. T**_

was quickly scribbled down on the right corner of a drawing to finish the piece of art. The artist was quite proud of it, but knew through experience that the drawing would sooner or later turn into a piece of embarrassment the longer it stayed attached to the sketch pad and not sold to someone who adored skylines and horizons. With a quick assessment, the pride turned into disappointment as the artist ripped out the sheet of paper and wrinkled it into a ball. _Piece of shit._

But before the failure was thrown into the closest trash can, a strong gust picked it up and assaulted a passerby in the face with a straw hat. Nevertheless, Dare Thames was not amused by the situation and even less when the passerby uncreased the ball and looked at the drawing.

"Hey, White Guy!" _Are you referring to my hair color...?_ Thames let out a frustrated groan when the passerby shoved the piece of art right into his face, "You made this?" The teen with the straw hat climbed over the cafe's spindly fence, sitting down in the seat across the poor artist and took a hold of the cup of tea on the table.

Thames realized the error of choosing an open-air-cafe as a drawing place and mourned his loss as Straw Hat took a sip of the tea.

"What if I did?"

"It's disgusting", the newcomer said bluntly while taking another sip, almost making the artist mad when it dawned upon Thames that he meant the beverage.

"Then stop drinking it, stop drinking _my_ tea already." The albino's eye twitched. Was this ordinary behavior in East Blue or did Thames just meet an incredibly rude person?

"Anyway, you shouldn't litter!" Straw Hat reprimanded the artist and slapped the piece of drawing onto the table. Thames had a sinking feeling that this was hypocrisy being spoken at its very finest.

"I wasn't. It was the wind."

"Oh, I see!" Did he really? Thames wasn't sure, but took the wrinkled drawing and threw it into the trash can. When the teen, a scar under his left eye, Thames finally noted, still didn't leave from his seat, the artist couldn't help but inquire why he still was there. Straw Hat gave a wide grin, showing his teeth. "Do you know where the execution stand is?"

"In the town square. Are you here for sightseeing or something?" A weird snicker came out from Straw Hat as his eyes literally sparkled.

"I wanted to see the place where Gold Roger's execution was held!" Thames supplied the other teen with directions to the town square and got a slap to the back as thanks when he was done. "By the way, you should draw some pirates! It's much cooler than some clouds and a sea."

"You mean I should draw _you?_ " The artist raised a brow, skeptical, his fingers twitching at the suggestion. It wasn't often he received requests, and when he did, he was usually too busy drawing other things. But now, when his muse left him to his death, Thames didn't mind much.

"Yeah! As the pirate king!" An immense silence resided when those words left his mouth and Thames couldn't help but smirk. His dose of morbid drawings had diminished greatly once he accompanied a child back to her island. Besides, a pirate king wasn't too awful to try.

"Sure, do you prefer to be beheaded, hung or maimed when I draw you?" The artist grabbed the pencil on the table, flickered through the albino's sketchpad to a clean sheet of paper and made a quick sketch of an execution stand, a rough figure of someone kneeling at the top of it.

"What do you mean with that?!" Straw Hat cried out, clearly offended, his eyes never leaving the swift movements of the drawing tool.

"That you die."

"I don't like you", he grumbled and made a movement to take a hold of the pencil, but ended with a stab indent between his knuckles.

"Take it as a compliment, pirates that are executed publicly are usually infamous." A mass of people was taking form around the execution platform with unreadable expressions, gazing up towards the pirate king.

"Ah, that's true! You're not so bad then, White Guy!" Straw Hat was amazed by the variety of colors that the artist brought out from a little pouch.

"The name's Thames. And I said usually, I find you to be an exception to that."

"I'm Luffy, and you're confusing. My bounty will increase when I enter Grand Line for sure!" He said and looked interested at a strange-looking hourglass on the table. It looked like a compass...

"You have a bounty already?" Thames looked up from the drawing and let out a chuckle when Luffy beamed. "I bet mine's– Never mind, what did you do to get a bounty?" Straw Hat was bad at storytelling but Thames listened nonetheless while painting and laughed at the odd moments in Luffy's tale.

"So you defeated this shark man, you say?"

"Yeah, his teeth were so cool! But they hurt a lot too", Luffy said with enthusiasm, leaning in his seat with his arms behind his head.

"You must be really strong to have defeated a fishman, though." Thames let go of the color pencil and scribbled down _D.T_ on the right corner of the drawing with a pen to mark it as done. "Here you go." Luffy took the sheet of paper with awe and let out a noise of glee as he saw a clear depiction of himself, about to get executed in front of a crowd that stretched almost beyond the skyline.

"This is awesome! You're awesome, White Guy!" A prominent blush appeared on said person's cheeks, not used to compliments and waved it off. Luffy rolled up the drawing gently and put in his pocket with a huge grin.

"Sure. Anyway, you should go and look at the execution stand before it gets too crowded." Luffy nodded vigorously and stood up right after Thames told him the directions to the town square, _again,_ and made a dash to the site.

Thames wasn't sure what had just happened but a complain wasn't the first thing the artist was thinking of. _Now, to get my things and then get off this island..._

* * *

The sound of Belis hitting the counter was made and in exchange the customer received his goods.

"Thank you for your purchase!" The seller said while wrapping up the Blue-finned Elephant Tuna in paper. The customer let out a puff of cigarette smoke as he grinned back. Sanji turned around and searched for his friend whom he'd previously seen buying eggs, taking advantage of the help that was available.

"Oi, Usopp!" Said person looked up and zeroed in on the smoker, recognizing who it was. Sanji beckoned him with a finger to come over.

"Yo, what's up, Sanji?" When Usopp was just a couple of inches away from him, the blond pointed at the creature he had just bought. "...What's that?"

"Supplies." The shorter male frowned, but didn't comment on the abnormal appearance of the goods. With a quick check the two agreed on having everything they needed, and decided to look for the others, seeing as it was pretty late.

"By the way..." Usopp said after a while of walking, the slippery creature slung over their shoulders. "Why the heck do I have to carry the heavy side?" The fish smelled. And those eyes were unnerving. And it was heav– _did it just blink at him?_

"It's quicker if we both carry it, right?" Became his reply, though, not very much appreciated.

"Sure, but why aren't you carr– whoa! I'm so sorry!" It wasn't that Usopp hadn't paid attention to where he was going, yet he somehow managed to knock someone over. A teenager reacted poorly to the accidental shove and fell flat on his butt, right in front of the pirates. The teen seemed to just appear out of nowhere when Usopp had bumped into him. "Are you alright!?"

The teenager made a slight nod and looked up to the men with a frown. Usopp decided to reach out a hand to the white-haired teen but tipped slightly forward due to the weight of the fish and _Slush!_ a cascade of spit attacked the newcomer from above.

"..." He realized now what had made the fish so heavy.

The blond frowned as he let out some smoke, not seeing anything because of the fish. "Oi, Usopp, what's happening?" Said person turned his head back with a shaky motion as he made an unintelligible summary of the accident.

"Ugh..." The teen stood up abruptly, pulled his drenched, plastered coat away from his torso while directing an unnerving stare into the back of Usopp's head.

"A-ah, I'm really sorry!" He apologized again and bowed his head several times, each time water spluttered over the teen. The blond decided then to let go of the fish and see for himself what was happening, earning an outraged shout from Usopp, whom received the full weight of the fish.

"Oh", was all Sanji could say when he realized the situation. A scrawny, white-haired teen with piercing eyes, a too big, dark coat and junk in his hair, was soaked to the bone in water (fish spit) and the smell was... Horrid.

"Indeed", the teen said, surprisingly not seething in anger while picking on an algae with a raised eyebrow. "None of us managed to pay attention to the road, it seems."

"I'm really sorry! I didn't see you there and–" The teen managed to cut Usopp off with a fixated stare. "Though, you should really look where you're going..." The albino dared to blink in bewilderment.

"Are you insinuating that I'm accident prone and that it was my fault when you were clearly the one who bumped into me?"

"When you phrase it like that..." Sanji cleared his throat as twin attentions were set on him, a bit unnerving when both of them were men, he thought.

"Sorry about this. I wish we could help you, but we have to go", he quickly assessed the teen's appearance before adding, "Unless you have something quick for us to help you out with. You had an errand of some sorts, right?" A small tug of the lips flashed on the albino's face suddenly.

"Are you possibly a mind reader, _mister*_?"

"What, what?" Usopp stared at them in amusement, finally asking the right question, "Mr Sanji, eh?" The blond let out an irate huff while glaring at the guffawing sniper before directing his glare to the albino.

"Don't call me that! It's disgusting to have a man call me mister, fish breath!"

"But, mister, wasn't it you guys who–" Said person tried to add a few belis into the dispute but was cut immediately.

"Don't. Say. That! I can fucking see that you aren't from here by your clothes, idiot!"

"Is that really a thing, though? I mean, we aren't from here either-" Usopp clammed up and whistled an off-key tune when Sanji's glare pierced through him again.

"And the fact that you have a piece of paper with a date, time and place written down on it in your hair tells me a lot that you're up to something today", the blond added, looking at the teen who just realized where his note had gone while pulling it out of his hair.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to offend", the teen said nonchalantly, "It's true that I have to get something in-" the drenched teen brought out a pocket watch and estimated the time with a horrified expression, "-in _ten_ minutes..." The teen raised a shirtsleeve to the nose and cringed. Damn. Sanji couldn't help but sigh when the younger teen looked up to him with a pleading look.

The blond quickly told the new situation to Usopp and after a few minutes an irritated, drenched teen was holding onto a fish that had just vomited all over him, the long-nosed sniper had scurried off to the shop with the expectation of coming back with the newcomer's belongings and Sanji himself was just about to light up a new cigarette when the albino made a promise to drown him if he ever came across the blond again.

"Best wishes to you, fish breath. Anyway, what's your name?" Sanji decided to help out the shorter teen by holding onto the tail of the creature, seeing as he struggled with it quite a bit. He couldn't help but stare when a lion walked by with a weird looking guy riding on it, heading to the pier.

"Does it even matter, _mister_? I have a feeling you won't stop calling me with your _endearment_." That brought Sanji back to reality before he snapped.

"First of all, it's called 'politeness', idiot. Besides, it doesn't hurt to have some small talk with someone who's helping you out, right?" The albino muttered something unintelligible while he let out an irritated huff.

"It's Thames. And isn't it considered decent manners if you introduce yourself first, mister?" The blond was about to kick the hell out of Thames when he reconsidered and settled with a soundless yet hard kick to the albino's back instead whom immediately let out a pained yelp.

"I told you not to call me that! And it's Sanji, not that you'll remember with that kind of brain."

"Sanji?" Thames tried, perplexed by the very sound that came out of his mouth.

"What?"

"I fancy _mister_ though..." The blond let out an indignant noise as he picked up the pace, forcing Thames in front of him to do that as well. "Though, I apologize if I offend you again. It's just that old habits die hard." Sanji promptly ignored the shorter teen and looked around as they walked to the town square, supplying directions from time to time when he finally opened his mouth again.

"So, what are you doing here in Logue Town?"

"Sightseeing... Logue Town has a pretty horizon compared to many other islands around here." Thames said as a matter of fact.

"You're a traveler?" Sanji couldn't help but ask and got a shrug with the shoulders from the albino. "What do you do for a living, then?"

"All kinds of things", was the answer. "I don't have a preference."

"So you're broke, in other words." Thames let out a huff of irritation.

"How did you even come to that conclusion, mister? If you have to know I'm into nature."

"That doesn't tell me a goddamn thing", Sanji retorted while puffing out some smoke. "You could be a naturist for all I know."

"A _what?_ Are you ill? What." The albino spluttered and turned his head around, sporting a fascinating mixture of a pale and an embarrassed face.

"Don't be shy about it, fish breath. You could do worse things, exhibitionism, for example."

"Don't say such atrocities!" Sanji couldn't help but laugh at the blushing face Thames had, who spluttered incoherently before hiding his lower face behind his coat. "This is harassment..."

"Are you a botanist, then?"

"Sure, something like that." The duo took a left, an execution platform suddenly appearing on the skyline.

"By the way, what did you want Usopp to get?" Sanji finally asked the right question.

"A sword", Thames grumbled, kicking away some pebbles that just crossed his path.

"You're a swordsman?"

"I call it decoration mostly, but I can handle a blade", the teen glanced at Sanji's hand with a calculating look. "However, it's a far cry from your abilities with knives." The blond raised an eyebrow as interest was lit. He knew he was a cook?

"Don't undersell yourself so quickly", Sanji said as he flickered away the cigarette butt. "How did you know that I was a cook?" The teen slowed down his pace to a stop as the townsfolk (where were they before?) seemed to have gathered all in one place.

"You're not the only mind reader here, mister", Thames smirked knowingly.

"I told you-"

"Hm?" Sanji looked over Thames's head and zeroed onto a green-haired man and immediately got a sour look by just seeing him.

"Ah." However, his expression made a total opposite the very moment he laid his eyes on his lovely, sweet Nami, whom he immediately complimented.

"Hey..." A tired Usopp suddenly appeared behind him, gasping for breath and a satchel with the scabbard of a sword poking out from the flap.

"Who are you?" Zoro asked when he finally noticed the white-haired teen who was standing amongst them with a troubled expression. Thames blinked and waved with his hand in a dismissive way.

"Don't mind me, I'm a nobody."

"Um, I have your t-things..." Thames turned his head around and let out a pleased chuckle when he saw Usopp holding his satchel.

"I only told you about the sword but you got me my bag as well? Thank you very much."

"This is nothing for the great Usopp!"

"Anyway, isn't Luffy supposed to be here somewhere?" Sanji asked his crew mates, well, those who clearly didn't pay attention to the peanut gallery.

"He should be", Nami replied absentmindedly, still assessing the stranger. "By the way, who is that?" she whispered and received the few details Sanji had on Thames. The teen in question was about to exchange his hold on the fish with his satchel when he suddenly saw what was happening at the top of the execution stand.

"Clowns aren't usually executioners, are they?" Thames pointed to the platform and furious, but surprisingly simultaneous shouts of outrage came from the three others.

"WHY THE HELL IS HE ON THE EXECUTION STAND?!"

* * *

"Who?" Thames asked and finally saw a familiar young man with a straw hat on... "Isn't that..?"

"Our captain!" The long-nosed man cried out and Thames couldn't help but stare at them as the albino realized who they were.

"Captain-, you guys-... _Pirates?!_ " Incredible, it seemed that Thames's luck left the very moment Dora appeared in his life. "You are pirates!" Only bad things could happen from now on.

"Not now, fish breath!" Sanji hollered as the blond snatched the satchel from Usopp's hold, while pulling out the sword from it and threw said bag over his own back. "Give a helping hand and I'll give back your bag once I've saved my idiot-captain!" Sanji thrust the sword into Thames's free hand, not noticing the albino's scandalized look.

"You mean that I'll do the saving, shitty cook", the green-haired man suddenly called out as he pulled out, _was that three swords at the same time?_ , and ran into the mass that was once perceived as only townsfolk but was now revealed to consist of pirates as well.

"Not on my watch, Marimo!" With a leap the blond was far gone with the artist's bag and Thames couldn't help but groan in disdain. _M_ _y bag. My satchel. My art. My bag filled with drawings and sketches and shitshitshit-_

"Miss!" Thames called out to the woman, earning her cool, apprehensive attention. "Tell me where your ship is, please!" She nodded and was about to tell when she punched Thames hard on the back of the head.

"Don't you order me! And what's up with _miss?!_ "

"This is not really the time-" Usopp tried to cut in when he suddenly got the tail of the fish slapping him across the face.

"Usopp, take the tail and run! Hurry!" The woman ordered and made a mad dash out of the town square, clearly not aware of the judging look from the albino that pierced her. _Order? I beg to differ and_ _am in_ _great_ _need of_ _a_ _free_ _ticket to drown that mister when all of this is over._

"Anyway, why are we in such a rush? We could have helped them!" Usopp finally yelled.

"What could _we_ have done? Besides, there are far more important things to attend to!" The woman, answered, who had supplied Thames with her name, which he promptly refused to use with a scowl.

"Like what?"

"Like getting to our ship before it's washed away by this storm!"

"Storm?" Thames asked, finally done with the brooding, "How can you be so sure?"

"The air pressure and temperature's been dropping for the past while now. Also, I saw Cumulus clouds heading from the east. That's a sure sign of a storm!" Thames blinked and gaped in awe, clearly not aware that one could predict the weather like that.

"Y-you're right! That's far more important!" Usopp realized and almost ran over Thames in front of him, if only the long-nosed man hadn't decided in the last minute to just switch his hold on the creature so that he appeared first and that he could drag the whole fish by himself. Before Thames could react however, he was flipped over the belly of the fish and was forced to tag along Usopp's increasing pace, confused while draped over the animal.

"Miss", Thames began, but started all over again when Nami sent him a glare, "I mean Nami-san, you are amazing."

"What else would I be?" _A bit too egocentric to be honest._

* * *

"That brute!" Sanji exclaimed as the swordsman in their crew took out his sword to block the incoming attack of the female marine. "How dare he harm a lady?!"

"Let's go", his captain yanked the arm of the blond as he kept running. "By the way, what was White Guy doing with you guys?" Sanji blinked in surprise.

"You mean Thames?" Luffy let out a snicker and nodded. "How do you know him?"

"He drew me a picture!" Luffy took out the rolled up drawing from his pants pocket and proudly showed it to Sanji as they both turned right around a building. "He's a good drawer!"

"You mean an artist. And that's eery..." After experiencing what just happened in the town square, Sanji was not amused by a drawing that had practically shown him what could have been reality moments ago.

"It's so cool! Anyway, an artist?" His captain's eyes shone up, a mischievous grin eating up his lower face. The blond looked wary, not sure whether he should ask or not.

"That's the correct term, yeah. Why?"

"Do you think Thames is pirate material?" Luffy asked excitedly, realization hitting Sanji hard.

"No, Luffy, you're misunderstanding here... It's true that an artist could be a musician, but I don't think-"

"It's decided! Thames is joining!"

"Don't decide for others!"

* * *

 _Moments before the actual story..._

* * *

" _Hey, Luffy." Said person shifted his attention to his navigator from his seat, which was on the figurehead, and tilted his head in wonder. "Don't you think we should find one more crew mate before we leave for Grand Line?"_

" _Eh? Why?"_

" _Because we're going to die otherwise!" Luffy scrunched up his face as he jumped down from the figurehead, looking straight into his navigator's eyes._

" _But we're five, Nami!" Said person punched him in the head, clearly not amused._

" _It's not enough!"_

" _It is!"_

" _Our chances of surviving won't change because of one person", a darker voice joined, coming from a green-haired male lying on the deck floor. "Besides, if Captain says it's enough, then just deal with it. Right?"_

" _Yep!" The captain laughed while Nami slapped her forehead with her hand. Grand Line was no game for a small crew like this, they would need as many as possible to simply survive. She was about to give up on a safe journey when she remembered something vital for her argument._

" _But what if this person is a musician?" That got Luffy's attention immediately as his eyes took a certain gleam to them._

" _A musician?!"_

" _Dirty..." Nami shot out her tongue at the green-haired male as she smiled in triumph._

" _Let's find one!" Luffy chanted in glee while running around looking for the other two in his crew. "Sanji! Usopp! We're gonna get a musician!" He exclaimed when he saw his cook coming out from the galley_

" _A musician?" Sanji repeated in disbelief. "Isn't a doctor or a guard much better than a musician?"_

" _No! Every pirate crew needs a musician!"_

" _It's good and all that you want an artist, but I don't think we'll find one that easily", the sniper of the crew suddenly appeared, adding his two Belis into the conversation. "Besides, Sanji's making a good point-"_

" _No, it's decided! We're gonna get a musician!" Luffy snickered as the majority of the Straw Hat Pirates groaned._

* * *

"Is that your ship?" Thames asked while looking at the figurehead. A goat? Usopp nodded and shrieked soundlessly when he finally noticed a lion with a weirdly styled mane and its equally weird owner, menace and failure radiating from them.

"Wh-what are th-they doing to M-Merry?!" Nami seemed to realize as well and made a pained noise.

"That's Mohji and Richie! They're members of the Buggy Pirates!" She whispered in horror.

"Who's who?" Thames got hit in the head by the others for even asking.

"Who cares! Just go and chop them up so we can leave already!" The redheaded teen ordered Thames, earning an impassive stare from him while he rubbed the sore spot.

"It's true that I have a sword with me, but I'm not really allowed to use it..." _Legally, at least._

"Then you're useless!" Usopp screamed in Thames's face, making the albino irritated as spit flew all over him. "What's the point of such a long sword if it's not for slicing up your enemies?!"

"There are swords for thrusting too! Furthermore, they're not my enemies! Besides, what has that lion even done to you?" Nami screamed in frustration as she whacked Thames in the head with her elbow.

"Listen here, old man! Those pirates terrorized a village-"

"I'm not an old man... And who hasn't done _that_ before?" Thames whispered to the air irritatedly while Usopp took a giant leap away from the albino, a wary look in his eyes.

"-Do you know how much damage and mental pain they've caused-" Nami continued by ignoring Thames completely.

"I heard from your _captain_ that you gained quite a lot of money, _miss._ "

"-Which is why you should do what I'm telling you to do!" Nami ended her monologue by stamping her foot on the concrete ground, earning no bonus points from Thames as the artist was reminded of a child throwing a tantrum by just looking at her.

"I don't take well to orders, _miss_ _._ Also, my sword is solely for bloodshed and (my) amusement."

"T-Then, just use the scabbard or something!" Usopp suggested shakily, getting a cold stare from the artist who sighed in defeat.

"Fine..." Thames stood up from his smelly yet rather comfortable seat on the Tuna and headed down to the circus-duo, slowly unsheathing his sword with determined eyes. With a steady pace, his heels hit against the concrete confidently, reverberating throughout the pier.

The man with rabbit ears, presumably his hair, only took notice of someone approaching him and his lion when his companion whimpered.

"What is it, Ri-" A soft thud on the ground and a lighter hairdo made Mohji look up from his wet matches and gape in horror at the sight of a steel-eyed devil, about to slice him in two with his blade. But before the metal descended and slashed his torso, Mohji took a step back and slipped, hitting his head and fainted. Thames could only stare in bewilderment as the "enemy" was defeated by wet ground and was about to let out a huff of disappointment when he remembered the lion.

"That was a travesty. What about you?" The lion seemed to understand what Thames implied, and shook its head rapidly. "Well?" The animal scurried off while dragging its owner, leaving only three people at the pier.

"Good job, Thames! Just what I told you to do!" Usopp ran up to said person who sheathed his sword, annoyance settling on the albino's face.

"Just get onto the ship and leave me alone", Thames grumbled, hands in pockets and sword comfortably between his back and forearms while waiting for his belongings to appear. He sighed, not really sure of what was happening anymore, seeing as he was helping out strangers here and there.

He just hoped that there wouldn't be anything deviant today anymore. Because he had a plan, and that plan involved traveling through East Blue.

Nami made a slight thumbs up towards Thames as she had already climbed onto the ship, her purchases already put to where they were supposed to be.

"Thanks for your help, old man!"

"Old- I have yet to hit my twenties, _miss!_ "

"Whatever. Usopp, take the anchor!"

* * *

"So, what do you think, Zoro?" Luffy inquired happily.

"We should definitely not take that weirdo with us." Said person answered as he dragged his captain while running.

"I agree with Marimo here." His cook remarked, "He has barely no use to us except from– no, he's not even a musician for god's sake!" Luffy pouted as he crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance.

"What do you know? Hey, if that's his bag, then maybe there's an instrument in there?" Sanji patted on the satchel and confirmed it with a negative statement, making his captain whine.

"But it was so cool when White Guy drew! Like, his eyes changed color!"

"You're imagining things. It was probably the light reflecting or something", Sanji explained as they finally got to the pier, seeing a familiar trio.

"Luffy! Zoro, Sanji!" Usopp cried out happily from the ship while holding onto a rope. "Hurry up, this rope won't hold for much longer!"

"What took you so long?!" Nami shouted at them, "We need to set sail immediately!"

"Oh? White Guy, you're here!" Luffy yelled enthusiastically.

"It's Thames", said person reprimanded with a huff and caught easily the satchel that was thrown at him, courtesy of Sanji, and was clearly at ease when the familiar weight was slung over his shoulder. "Thank you again for bringing my things to me", Thames said to Usopp who immediately let go of the rope as he crossed his arms with a prideful smirk.

"Of course! The great Usopp helps whenever he's needed!"

"Yeah?" Sanji hollered back, "Because you just let go of the rope, idiot!" As if on cue, the rope snapped in two while a strong gust picked up the sails.

"SHIT!" The Straw Hat Pirates yelled simultaneously as the rope flapped in the air teasingly. However, Thames suddenly hooked his foot around the bollard and held onto the offending thread that had slapped him in the face. The waves roared underneath Merry and the albino grimaced in pain as he felt his hand burning.

A stunned silence deafened the ongoing storm as everyone stared at him. To be honest, Thames was mentally kicking himself for doing something so hideous as helping people out.

"Get on!" Thames ordered the newcomers, hissing in pain when waves pushed the ship further away from the pier.

"Thames, you're such a good guy!" Luffy cried out while wrapping his _stretching_ arms, quite similar to a hug, around said person, whom let out a girly squeak at the abnormal sight while Zoro and Sanji jumped onto the ship.

"W-whoa– What are you?!" Thames's voice rose several octaves and unhooked his foot due to surprise and immediately regretted his life.

Surrounded by pirates with dubious looks and a bright grin from the captain, Thames found himself on the very ship of the Straw Hat Pirates and not standing on the pier of Logue Town anymore. _Royally fucked._

* * *

The wind roared, the rain pelted and the waves tried to capsize Merry. This was by far, the worst storm, the Straw Hat Pirates had every gotten into.

"You... IDIOT!" His navigator screamed in his ear as she punched him in the face. "What were you thinking, Luffy?!" Funnily enough, it seemed that storms attracted each other and another one was happening on the ship as well.

"Do you even have a brain?" His sniper remarked, poking said person's eyes with two fingers.

"Ow! Hey, I talked with Zoro and Sanji and they agreed to let Thames join us!" Luffy held onto his hat while a strong gust attacked him from behind.

"WE DID NOT!" Zoro said hotly, crossing his arms.

"THAT'S A BLATANT LIE", Sanji reprimanded his captain at the same time, finally remembering the albino and cleared his throat, "No offense to you, fish breath." Thames looked quite devastated in his sorry state of depressed mess.

"I don't even know what's happening anymore." It sounded like the albino was about to cry. "I was planning on leaving the island, sure, but not like _this._ "

He had heard from the cook of the ship that Luffy had misunderstood his occupation and now, every time Straw Hat looked over with expectation written in his eyes, Thames couldn't help but cry inwardly. He had been taken on board due to communication failure and Thames wouldn't be able to leave the ship until it reached land or he decided to commit suicide. _Suicide sounds_ _awesome. Let's do that._

"See?" Nami said to Luffy and pointed to Thames who was hugging his knees and drawing circles with his finger, too deep in his depression. "Think before you act next time!"

"Ugh, sorry", Luffy pouted, "Hey, Thames! Join us!" Said person seemed to get into an even more depressed state and the others couldn't help but feel sorry for him, not even having the option to refuse.

"As we told you before, you can't demand things like that!" Usopp said in annoyance, slapping the back of the head of Luffy.

"Why not? Thames's already on board so why can't he be in our crew?"

"Gosh, you're so insensitive!" Nami retorted and knelt beside Thames, a comforting hand on his back. "Hey, uh, Thames, right? What do you say about tagging along with us until the next island? It's safer that way." Said person sniffled and made a minuscule nod.

"Ah, Nami-swan, always so considerate!" Sanji couldn't help but remark, right after he had taken out a barrel from the galley.

"I think she's just after his money", Usopp pointed out which earned an affirmative snort from Zoro. It wasn't a secret that Nami's eyes had turned into Beli signs when she was _comforting_ the guest on the ship.

"So, we've reached Grand Line, have we? This calls for a celebration!" Sanji raised his foot onto the barrel. "To find All Blue." Luffy made the same motion, which were soon followed by the rest of the crew.

"To become the Pirate King!"

"To be the greatest swordsman..."

"To draw a map of the world!"

"T-To become a brave warrior of the s-sea!" Thames looked at the crew listlessly and was profoundly confused when all of them looked back at him.

"Well?" Sanji asked, "What about you?" Thames blinked and pointed at himself in question dumbly. "Aren't you going to come over and do this too?"

"I don't even know what you're doing except from exclaiming statements that are ridiculous."

"They're not r-ridiculous!" Usopp defended himself. "Y-you're ridiculous for not doing this!"

"I'm not a part of your crew nor a pirate, mind you."

"Bullshit! You're too!" Luffy exclaimed hotly. "I've already decided!" Thames rose up to his feet, seething in anger as he approached them. He had finally snapped. No one ordered him without repercussions.

"Pardon me, but I don't remember giving you the rights to order me around-"

"Who cares? Just do it, White Guy", Luffy cut him off with a whine.

"The name's Thames, _dictator-_ "

"Just be glad that you're getting into Grand Line, already. I bet there are prettier horizons to paint", Sanji said to shut Thames's up, who looked like he'd swallowed a sour lemon.

"I _am_ from Grand Line, _mister._ " The only thing that could be heard at this moment was the roaring waves and the cold downpour of rain as a heavy silence rolled onto the ship.

"Ah, maybe we should drop him off the next island, then", Luffy said with finality.

"WE SHOULD NOT!" Nami shouted angrily and turned her attention to Thames. "Are you really from Grand Line?"

"I was born in the ocean, but yes. You need my birth certificate or what?" Nami waved her hand dismissively as she grinned.

"No, no! Welcome aboard, Thames!"

"My apologies, but I think I'd rather jump from the ship and get eaten by a school of clown fishes."

"Oh, come on, Thames! It will be fun!" Luffy added his two Belis. "By the way, do clown fishes eat humans?" he asked to no one in particular.

"It will be disastrous."

"Stop whining and just raise your foot already", Zoro suddenly said, clearly annoyed. "If not for piracy, then for your dream. And you better have a good one, because I'll cut you if it's half-assed!"

Thames looked incredibly 100% done with this and did as he was told, no longer in the mood to argue. He was going to exact his revenge sooner or later. _Resent and remember..._

"Don't you laugh", Thames threatened at the grinning Straw Hat Pirates.

"Wouldn't dream of it, fish breath."

"... To paint the wonders of the world." With a resounding bang the barrel broke.

"OFF TO GRAND LINE WE GO!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Welcome and thank you for reading this. I've been a great fan of OP ever since I was young and finally got the courage to write a fanfiction with an OC in it. To be honest, Dare Thames might come off as someone weird with huge question marks around, but if you'll allow me to, it'll be eventually explained in the story of how Thames appeared in Logue Town and various stuff. Hopefully, my OC isn't too off-putting and similar to a Mary Sue, because that's not my intention.

Thames is jut a very lost child out in the seas now, and has no idea what to do.

*mister/miss – Whenever Thames says this, it's "Nii-san/Nee-san" in Japanese which also means "Brother/Sister." Even though this is quite normal and even used in daily speech in Japan when strangers are involved, I don't think that OP usually use that. More like "You/old _/name/etc" and even if it does, Thames says it in such a condescending way that Sanji/Nami do take offense quite easily. I hope that explains it.

Thank you again for reading it, if you have any questions, suggestions or criticism, do please tell me! I'd love to answer and listen! Sorry for eventual typos and grammatical errors you come across in this chapter. English isn't my native language.

P.S: Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if I told you that Thames is a girl?

a) Freak out b) Call out my bullshit c) Demand a sex check d) Other

 **-Nart**


	3. Is it too late to swim back to LogueTown

**Wonders of the World**

 **Draft no. 2**

 _Chapter 2 "Is it too late to swim back to Logue Town?"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

I had a sinking feeling that getting off this ship would be far more difficult than breaking into a science lab and get out alive. _Trust me_ , I almost lost my legs when I did. Though, I'd rather lose them than my sanity, seeing as I won't even be able to survive a day with _the_ _m_.

* * *

At this moment, the crashing waves looked really inviting, beckoning the albino to jump, sink and get maimed by the various monsters residing in the ocean as he leaned over the railing, sighing for the umpteenth time while he picked on the blisters that had formed on his left hand. With a frown, Thames faintly remembered a rope smacking him right in the face and his expression turned downright sour. The very thought that the artist had sacrificed his hands, his _tools_ , for strangers irked him greatly.

Not because of pain, but more due to a flawed appearance. Ever since he was young, he had been taught to keep his hands in a top-notch condition. A quite morbid reason his mother used to tell him, was that people tended to judge by appearance, lingering eyes on the hands to gauge someone's adequacy. If Thames kept them flawless, people would usually underestimate him and then he could cause whatever mayhem he was feeling up to, which was quite often _._

However, it was mostly because he wasn't allowed to paint if they were injured and was then forced to do some productive reading (Sensei's words, not his own.)

The albino couldn't help but shiver at a certain memory of him doing the most reckless thing and hurting both of his hands when he was younger, rendering him useless and a perfect victim for some lecture, consisting of not chasing after frogs in coursing rivers anymore.

Thames made the very (not) great decision to use elbows and mouth to open paint tubes and feet to color his canvas in secret the same day, inhaling the whole content of a red tube in surprise when his mentor appeared behind him suddenly. He did get ill, and he did vomit all over his Sensei.

After he had convalesced he had no choice but to suffer through rigorous hours of studying unless he wanted his atelier to be burned down to ashes, a reoccurring threat throughout Thames's childhood that fazed him every time.

He hissed suddenly when he picked on the edge of a burst blister, pulling too much skin off. _This is_ _actually_ _unsanitary_ , he noted.

"Miss– Nami-san?" Said person looked up from her map, approaching the albino while arching one of her eyebrows. "Do you happen to have some ointment or soap I could use?" Thames raised his left hand as she grasped it tightly, earning a pained yelp from the albino.

"Are you an idiot?! Did you get these from the rope?" She bonked him in the head with a fist. "Men these days!" Thames blinked and shrugged, not caring for the insults that kept pouring out of Nami's mouth as she dragged him to the galley.

The room was rather spacious Thames finally noted, once he was inside. The first time he was in the kitchen, he had just flung his sword in a corner before he brought out some ink and paper from his bag as he took a seat, coping up with his anger and distress by first drawing gruesome depictions of the Straw Hats and then just unintelligible pieces of raw fury.

That is, before he got thrown outside after _accidentally_ making indents on the table with his tools and was told to "jump in the ocean to cool down", courtesy of the cook.

"Hello, Nami-san! What can I do for you on this wonderful day?" The cook of the ship swooned at the duo walking in, snapping out of it as he saw Thames with a deadpan stare. "What do you want, fish breath?" The albino looked outside the porthole and then back at Sanji.

"I guess squalls do have a certain charm to them, but to be labeled as wonderful?"

"Shut up!" Nami raised her fist again and with a resounding smack, Thames found himself with a bump forming on the back of his head.

"Behave! Sanji-kun, could you treat this fool's blisters while I go check our guiding light?" Before even getting an answer, the navigator was already outside the galley.

"Certainly, Nami! You", Sanji's expression became irritated the moment he pointed at Thames and then at a chair, "Sit down and I'll run some cold water for you." Thames did as he was told while the cook opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a bowl and some soap, the water already running from washing vegetables.

"Your manners are impeccable, _mister._ Is it because of your fondness for bad weather?"

"Not a peep from you. And don't call me mister!" Sanji slammed down the bowl filled with water, took a seat and, surprisingly, grasped Thames's hand gently while treating it.

The blond worked efficiently in silence, not noticing the artist's calculative gaze on the cook's hands.

"You have nice hands." Sanji stopped his motions as he looked up, his face expressionless for a long time before he finally snapped and hit Thames with his foot. "Ouch!"

"I don't want to hear that from _you!_ " The cook gritted his teeth as he let go of the injured hand, done with the treatment. Thames held his precious head in agony, not used to multiple head traumas in such a short time.

"I was just voicing out my thoughts... Why do you take offense?"

"I don't _want_ your opinions! Stop being creepy and get out of here, fish breath", Sanji said, exhausted as he reached for his lighter, a cigarette between his down-turned lips.

"I don't smell like fish anymore", the albino pointed out while scrutinizing Sanji's handiwork. "Besides, most people treat their tools with little care, not realizing that they will only have rust and broken pieces of metal in the end. It's admirable that you've treated your hands so well." Sanji puffed out some smoke while he glanced away, looking for words.

"A cook's hands are a cook's life. I would kill myself before I got them hurt. Anyway, shouldn't you take better care of your own if you're an artist?" Thames blinked and looked up at Sanji's judging gaze and waved with his uninjured hand, earning an irritated sigh and a roll of the eyes. Before the albino could remark, the galley door opened and in came the remaining occupants of the ship, a solemn look adorning the navigator's face.

* * *

"Couldn't we just head directly south and still enter?" Zoro asked, oblivious to the silent thanks the albino sent him through telepathy. Nami's explanation made no sense, Thames reasoned in his head. Why would they need to climb up a mountain?

"We can't!" Luffy objected to Zoro's suggestion, "It's so much cooler to go in using the real entrance!" Thames gave the exuberant captain a look that questioned his intelligence, refraining from adding scathing comments.

"That is not the reason!" The navigator hit the captain in the head. "I told you this before, didn't I, Luffy?" Said person made no sign of recognizing what she said and Nami sighed.

"Why? There's nothing wrong by heading south", Thames said, "I did that and I'm perfectly fine." Dubious looks were exchanged and Thames felt irked at being doubted. The albino knew what he was speaking of, having experienced the full on-slaughter of a nosy child that kept losing her _pet_ while the two of them hid on a marine ship. He may not have seen much through the holes he made in the lifeboat they hid, but the marines did _not_ crash right into a mountain to get to East Blue.

"You can't possibly mean that!", Nami said in an upset voice, "How did you even get here?"

"Marine ship."

"Y-You're a marine? I'm sorry, s-sir!" Usopp cried out in a squeaky voice, biting his nails. "Leave Merry and spare u-us, please!" Thames looked coolly at the sniper while crossing his arms, clearly not amused.

"I'm not a marine."

"Exactly, Thames's a pirate!" The albino slapped himself in the face with his left hand in annoyance, hissing in pain at the same time for forgetting his injury.

"I'm not a pirate either!" Thames glared at the captain. "I'm an artist, a painter. Someone who _draws._ "

"So?" The artist felt his jaw drop and was slightly disgusted as Luffy stared back at him while picking his nose.

"Since when was an artist synonymous with a pirate?" The albino tried again.

"You drew me!"

"I fail to see your logic!" Thames felt mortification color his face as the other Straw Hat Pirates looked at him with knowing smirks. "I hope you get into Calm Belt", he grumbled after sinking in his seat, his arms crossed and his lower face behind his coat.

"That's not going to happe-"

"Guys! The storm suddenly stopped!" Usopp suddenly cut Nami off while looking outside the porthole. Her face paled as she ran out of the galley, quickly followed by the other Straw Hats.

A faint wind stroke Thames's cheek when he opened the door, right on time to hear Nami's horrified voice.

"Oh no! We really did enter Calm Belt!" The albino walked up to her, almost pleased at this sudden outcome. The navigator noticed this immediately and screamed in his ear.

"Don't just stand there! Do something, Mr-I'm-from-Grand-Line!" Thames couldn't help but scowl.

"I don't sound like that", he retorted while Nami held onto his collar and shook him fiercely, as if to demand a miracle. "If a marine ship can, why can't this caravel?"

"I'm. Telling. You", she shook harder for each word that came out of her mouth, "There is no ship that can do that! If they did, anyone could enter Grand Line without problems!" She finally let go and shouted out orders to the others while Thames pressed a hand to his face, trying to ease his dizziness. It seemed to get worse, however, as the boat suddenly quavered.

"I-Is this an e-earthquake?" Luffy's voice reverberated loudly as he looked over the starboard side, piercing Thames's ears at the same time.

"N-no, it's-", Nami said before she made a dive for the mast, hugging it tightly when everyone got weightless for a moment, until the sensation was replaced by raw fear as they stared eye to eye with a monster. "It's a Sea King! This place is a den for Sea Kings!" An ocean filled to the brim with sea beasts of various sizes, all of them well beyond the magnitude of mountains.

Before Thames could recover he got an oar thrown at him in the face, courtesy of Usopp, and was pushed to the starboard side of the ship.

"Alright", Zoro began, holding his own oar tightly, "As soon as this thing dives back down into the sea, start rowing your arms off, got it!?" A chorus of agreement resounded through the ship, but before the Sea King dove, it sneezed and sent Going Merry straight into the storm again.

"What is wrong with this ship?" Thames couldn't help but scream in frustration before they landed on the harsh, yet very much appreciated waves.

"It's not M-Merry's fault!" Usopp defended it, holding on to Luffy with his dear life, right after almost becoming frog food. "It's this damn ocean's fault!"

"No, your ship is an _exception_ ", Thames muttered under his breath as he rose from his lying position, previously sprawled all over the deck on his stomach. He was in deep thought, thinking back on the marine ship that had brought him over to Logue Town. Unless there was something special with that kind of boat, the albino couldn't help but see Merry as defective. A sense of sadness washed over him and Thames felt almost guilty for thinking that.

Another thought popped up and the albino couldn't help but hiss angrily. Somehow, he had gotten into the Straw Hats' pace. The only thing he wanted was to get off this ship and never ever have to see them in his life again. It was just a matter of time before he would do something stupid, he lamented, clearly ignoring his blaring injury on his left hand.

"Whoa, what's with that shadow?!" The sniper of the ship suddenly spoke up again, snapping Thames out of his mental rantings. A humongous wall of never-ending landmass appeared in front of them and a familiar feeling churned in the albino's stomach. Inspiration. _He wanted to draw it so badly._

"Red Line, huh?" The artist mused when he finally connected the sight with where they were heading to. "Don't tell me..." he directed his attention to Nami, baffled.

"Are we really climbing up a mountain?"

"It's the only way, _stowaway_ -kun", was his answer, before she explained again to a very glum-looking albino.

"I can't deny your logic, as it is astounding", Thames said in awe, looking around and noticed that the port side was too close to the Red Line, "But does it cover getting wrecked?" Luffy had realized it too and was screaming at the top of his lungs to Sanji and Usopp to turn starboard when the rudder creaked and burst in two.

"We're gonna crash!" Nami wailed, praying for her dear life when suddenly, Luffy flung himself off the boat, acting as a spring between the boat and the gate by inflating himself like a _balloon_.

"Luffy, take my hand!" The swordsman suddenly stuck said limb out. Thames blinked, scandalized, at the sight of a _stretching arm_ and couldn't react in time before said person landed on him.

"We're saved!" Usopp shouted happily, breathing in the air after having to hold in his breath for too long due to fear. "Can you guys believe it?!" A smile adorned the cook's face as he took a drag from his newly lit cigarette, just as happy as the rest of the crew when they went upwards.

* * *

"The stowaway demands a funeral before you leave the next island..." Thames said in a tiny voice, a twitching hand in the air as he was right under Luffy, who had found it rather comfortable where he was sitting. The captain peered down as confusion was plastered all over his face.

"Hm? What are you doing down there, Thames?"

"Dying." The captain of the ship rose to his feet while pulling up the substitute cushion as well.

"You're funny." Thames blinked several times before his voice rose several octaves, his sanity diminishing.

"I don't want to hear that from you! What _are_ you?!" The albino pulled Luffy's cheek harshly and was amazed yet horrified as it stretched. He immediately let go of it while gauging the captain's expression. "Didn't... That hurt?"

"Not really. I'm a rubber man, after all." Thames's brain stopped functioning at those words, but recovered quickly when he mentally slapped himself. The albino tilted his head to the right and pinched Luffy's nose harshly, who shouted in surprise at the sudden hold and was mighty uncomfortable when Thames twisted his nose to the side. "By node id gunna gome ohv-", the captain chanted incoherently.

"Reality check", Thames explained as he let go of the nose, Luffy holding on to it like a life line, "Auditory and tactile senses... As for the visual sense... You _are_ real, this isn't a dream." Luffy's nostrils flared while he squinted at Thames, showing a row of sharp teeth after he let go of his nose.

"Of course I'm real! Shouldn't you pinch yourself if it's a dream, stupid?!"

"Ah." Thames's eyes widened as it dawned upon him, a dark pink hue flushing his cheeks. "I was just– I mean, my actions are inexcusable, yes, but–..." His voice trailed off as he saw the gleeful expressions on the pirates. Mortification didn't only color his face but also made him internally scream for being so stupid when they laughed.

Luffy snickered as he slapped Thames's back in a hasty way, not a hint of being offended crossing his features. "Don't worry about it!"

"...Sure", the albino finally replied with twitching fingers at his sides, digging onto the hem of his sleeves. "Then, how come you're a rubber man? Has the inhabitants on your island evolved that much?" Luffy blinked owlishly, not sure if Thames was speaking the same language he was.

"It's his devil fruit powers", Zoro suddenly spoke up, making Thames uneasy by his smirk, "Surely, you've heard of them before, right?" The albino nodded absently, scrutinizing Luffy again.

"Devil fruits may be more common here in Grand Line, but it's not often one comes across those." Sure, Thames had heard the occasional story of men gaining strange abilities with a bite from said fruit whenever he younger, hiding in a pub downtown. However, such things were practically taboo amongst his people.

Having a population with borderline, supernatural interests and obsessions, devil fruit users were incredibly rare on his island. It was more of a waste to have such an ability, knowing that hard work was glorified and shortcuts frowned upon. Well, not that rubber would lead the captain of the ship to success.

"They taste like shit", was Luffy's answer before he scurried off to the figurehead, leaving a stunned Thames behind.

"By the way", Nami spoke up to get the albino's attention, "Where is your island exactly? And what's it called?" Thames got a faraway look in his eyes as he reminisced his turbulent days on his island, dragging on a sound of contemplation before he answered.

"Reveriel is quite far from here. If my geography lessons are correct", Thames focused on a particular memory of being tied down to a chair while he was forced to listen to one of his mentors' drivel about the world, shuddering. "If they are correct, then you won't see it before you enter New World." Nami blinked in confusion as she opened her mouth.

"'New World'? What's–" But before she could finish her question, Sanji cut her off with a shout.

"Nami! There's a mountain up ahead!" She looked up to the sails where Sanji and Usopp were seated on, bewildered.

"That can't be! We should reach open sea once we pass the Twin Capes ahead." A booming noise accompanied her sentence and Thames couldn't help but wonder if this really was reality as he was met with the underside of a whale. His mouth thinned into a straight line as he slapped himself with both of his hands, his gaze fixated on to the ship's impending doom.

Nope, he was dreaming, still in Logue Town, trying to off the stupid rabbit that he gave to the child he had saved not too long ago. Actually, why did he even do that in the first place?

"What do we do?!" Usopp wailed, now, running in circles down on the deck. "We're gonna crash and die!"

"Not if we're quick enough!" Zoro suddenly shouted, pointing at an open space, between the left cape and the whale's side. "Turn port!"

"But the rudder's broken!" The sniper's shrill voice resounded, and in a snap the swordsman was pulling on the offending piece of wood in the galley alongside with Sanji and Usopp.

A sudden boom reverberated throughout the Twin Capes and a crack was heard before the figurehead of the ship snapped in two, almost crushing the navigator.

"I... I almost died just now", was all Thames could hear from her, a lump in her throat. The albino dropped to his knees, approached the shocked redhead and pulled her away from the railing, trying to get her out of her shocked state.

"Was that... a cannon?" It was barely a question and more like a statement of disbelief, but Nami nodded nevertheless, standing up on shaky feet after Thames deemed her to be in an able condition.

"Oi, Thames!" Sanji suddenly shouted behind them, an oar in his hand. "Get here and start rowing already!" A faint protest reared its ugly head because, _really_ , he had no obligation to help out the Straw Hats, but said person kept quiet as he ran up to the swordsman, taking hold onto the offering oar and began to row.

The whale let out its trademark noise when the ship had successfully turned left and was just a few meters away from its demise when Luffy shouted.

"How dare you destroy my special seat!" The captain threw his fist and hit the whale squarely in the eye, causing a chorus of "You fucking idiot!" right after the whale's pupil descended and took notice of the boat.

The marine mammal opened its mouth and the albino stared at the immense row of teeth and was thinking, despite the grave situation, of having a whale tooth as a canvas, before the ship was swallowed whole.

* * *

"I could have sworn we were swallowed up by a whale, but", the cook remarked as he assessed his surroundings, "Are we dreaming or something?" Thames looked around and was met with a nice shade of blue, with white tufts strewn haphazardly. An isle with a cozy-looking house was floating on the aquamarine ocean in front of them and Thames couldn't help but doubt at this sudden, yet peaceful-looking scenery.

"Yeah, this has _got_ to be a dream", the swordsman of the ship agreed, not believing the sight either.

"Don't be silly, mister, this is real", Thames said. "Why would this be a dream?"

"YOU'RE PINCHING YOUR ARM!" Usopp countered hotly. The albino's fingers was digging into his skin before he lessened his hold on his forearm, looking away from Usopp's accusing eyes and suddenly noticed a door floating in the air far behind Merry. He threw himself at the railings and scrutinized it, a feeling of respect and admiration settled in his stomach. This whole place was a painting. _A_ _mazing_ _._

"W-Whoa! A giant squid!" The albino turned his attention to the front and was overwhelmed at the sight of a pink squid before it was harpooned and took its last breath.

"What a spoof", he couldn't help but say as he got closer to the broken figurehead, right next to the cook and the swordsman. Thames noticed a man with an ornate hairdo and had the slight impression that the inhabitant of the isle was just as weird as he looked, if not weirder. He mentally reprimanded himself, _no judging._ _It leads to your downfall._

"It's a flower!" Sanji spoke up, his eyes catching onto the same thing. "Wait, no. It's a person..."

"That old man took out the squid with one blow!" Usopp added, "Though... was that to save us or...?" A deafening silence overcame them as they stared at the man with a flower-hairdo, who met their gaze while he hauled in his catch for today.

"Probably the latter", Thames broke the silence, cupping his chin with a hand as he mused. "The whale, this place... I wonder what he prefers today? Human stew or-" Usopp cut him off by covering Thames's mouth with shaky hands.

"Don't say anything anymore!" Thames smirked evilly, but kept his mouth shut, his musings already having an effect on the sniper, seeing as Usopp trembled with fear. "We've g-got a cannon on our side!" The sniper let go of Thames and pointed at the man.

"Don't, or someone might end up dead", the man finally spoke up, ominous as he sat down in his sun chair.

"And who would that be?" Sanji couldn't help but ask, a serious look on his face.

"Me", the man said, turning a page with the paper he held in his hands. Thames snickered at the bluntness and held up a hand in defense, not able to lessen the glare Sanji directed towards him. _Moron._

" _You?!_ " The cook roared, wanting to kick the hell out of the flower-man before he was stopped by his fellow crewmate.

"Don't get worked up so easily", Zoro told him, before he looked over to the man, "Hey, old man. Would you mind telling us who you are and just where this place exactly is?" A stare down was held between the swordsman and the man before the older one spoke up.

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking others questions, you know." Zoro blinked.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I'm-" but before Zoro revealed their identities, the man introduced himself as Crocus and gave a basic description of himself, including his blood type and sign which rendered Thames into a silently laughing mess of agony on the deck floors as the albino gasped for breath. _Another moron._

"NOBODY MINDS IF I KILL HIM, RIGHT!?"

"Oi, calm down", Sanji stopped the swordsman from doing anything stupid.

"You're wondering where this place is?" Crocus asked while Thames sat up and wiped the corners of his eyes with a hand, his stomach still hurting. "Does this place look like the stomach of a _mouse?_ "

"Don't worry", Thames said with a smile, receiving everyone's attention, "Despite the unconventional canvas, it's an astounding piece of art." Art was to be respected, despite the artist. Crocus took a moment before he answered.

"I was tired of the old look and decided to repaint it." Thames knew that feeling very well, having second thoughts on several pieces of artwork he had done, especially those he had already sold.

"It's remarkable!" Thames gushed. "The way you used the stomach acid-" a shout of utter disbelief came from the pirates as they ran around frantically on the ship. "-All I can say is, it's clever."

"It used to be a meadow with rabbits, but then I stopped half way and drew some clouds and a sky." The feeling of respect and admiration turned into disgust and anger as Thames stood up and held on to the railing tightly, swinging a fist in the air.

"You're a travesty, a curse! Who the _fuck_ paints _fuckin'_ rabbits- Do you want to kill me with your _inadequacy!?_ "

"No, I'm a doctor." Thames roared at Crocus's answer.

"If you have to paint, paint the whole thing (even if it's rabbits _holy fuck!_ ) and _then_ repaint it! You– you fu– mentally ill man!" A pat on the back and a firm grip on his arm, made Thames unable to leap onto the island and tear the old man a new hole.

"Calm down, fish breath! He's just messing with you", Sanji said, clearly not expecting the sudden outburst from the albino, who defused immediately as shame colored his face.

"Pardon for my rudeness... and my profanity..." The blond patted Thames on his head in a reassuringly manner, not aware of the murderous thoughts that were running through the albino's mind. Only mentally ill people would depict the worst creatures in existence.

"Anyway, leave him be", Zoro spoke up, right after having calmed down the sniper of the ship. "Let's just get out of here."

Suddenly, waves of stomach acid crashed on to the sides of Merry heavily.

"What's going on?!" Usopp shouted over Crocus's mumblings, a grave expression on the old man's face.

"Look!", Nami shouted while holding on to the mast, pointing at the pseudo-isle, "That's not an island! That's a ship! An iron ship to boot!" The metal glimmered, which Thames frowned at and looked up, noticing lights far, far up inside this belly.

"I can't believe this fucking geezer...", Thames muttered under his breath while running a hand through his hair, obviously thinking of someone's demise.

"This whale, has started bashing its head against Red Line again", the old man explained at the demand of one, courtesy of Usopp.

"Now that he mentions it", Nami muttered under her breath, explaining her train of thoughts to everyone on the ship. "-It's suffering! That man must be trying to kill this whale from the inside!"

"That's horrible!" But before Crocus could add his two Belis in the conversation, he jumped into the acid and swam, breaking the surface once he reached the exit.

"We've got no choice to row! Everybody, take an oar, or we'll dissolve!" Zoro ordered, but before anyone made a move to the oars, a scream reverberated throughout the belly, three human forms in midair. "Luffy?" Said person looked down and shouted excitedly, happy that they were alright before he got an uneasy expression.

"Anyway, just help me out!" Luffy yelled before he hit the surface of the pseudo-ocean and _sunk._ Thames felt his jaw drop because was it possible that a _pirate_...

"Isn't this just stomach acid?"... _couldn't swim?_ Facts were running amok through Thames's brain and he could only conclude that Luffy was a poor soul who didn't learn to swim before he received his Devil Fruit powers, knowing that Devil Fruit users could swim as long as it wasn't sea water. Or, that was what his Sensei had told him... On the other hand, it wasn't as if Thames was a diligent student, making the reality of Luffy drowning in stomach acid very much possible.

"Hey, there are two other weirdos aside from Luffy!" Usopp pointed at the newcomers, before his fingers raised again and landed on Crocus. "And the old man's getting away!"

"Forget about him, saving Luffy comes first." Zoro said and jumped over, intent on finding the Straw Hat Captain, who was sinking rapidly _for who knows what reason_.

"Is- That's a lady!" The cook suddenly spoke up, diving in as well. Thames made eye contact with Usopp before he glanced at the remaining person in the stomach acid and tilted his head to indicate what the sniper was supposed to do.

"M-Me?! Why not you?"

"I need to help Nami-san." Said person looked up with a raised eyebrow, not sure of what was going on. "She can't get all the clean water by herself." The navigator seemed to get the point of what Thames's was spouting about and went inside the galley, running some water.

"I could help her instead! And why do we need water?"

"It's for a good cause."

"What-" Usopp trailed off, cowering under the albino's sudden icy stare, before he decided to jump in and save the redhead in the acid. Thames was not expecting Usopp to dive in and couldn't help but be impressed, clearly thinking about the lifebuoy that the sniper could have used instead, before the albino went inside the galley, helping Nami by taking out barrels filled with water.

* * *

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER!" The sniper yelled while the albino covered his ears, glancing away from the accusing glare. "I'm d-dying!" Thames rolled his eyes as he brought a barrel over Usopp's head and poured its content all over the younger teen.

"This is your ship. It's your responsibility to know what kinds of things are on board." Usopp made a sulking tone as he printed the image of the lifebuoy into his mind, intent on remembering it for similar situations in the future. "However, I must say that your actions were... valiant."

"R-really? You think so?" Thames nodded encouragingly as he handed a barrel to Zoro who had just gotten onto the ship, soaking in acid while holding on to a wheezing Luffy.

"Absolutely." Usopp brightened immediately and pushed out his chest confidently before he decided to help out with the barrels, bringing one of them to the cook. "Right, mister, you really should pour some water over you." The swordsman looked weirded out before he did as he was told and dunked his captain, head first, into another barrel.

"It's Zoro, though", he finally introduced himself, not being able to do it _before_.

"Thames", the albino supplied before he brought some barrels to the newcomers. "Acid is corrosive, so you should get it off as much as possible before it irritates your skin and you become bones." Horrified expressions etched onto the strangers before they repeated Zoro's actions (aside from the dunking.)

"I'm surprised", Nami spoke up and got Thames's attention, her voice full of wonder after she had turned off the tap and appeared on the deck with everyone else, "I had no idea _you_ of all people would know something like this." The albino glanced down to his shoes, a remarking blush on his cheeks as he muttered something incoherently. "Hm?"

"... It was from experience", Thames repeated louder, hiding his lower face behind the high collar of his coat.

"Oh? Do tell~!" Nami's smug face made him scowl, but he complied.

"I was running in a _friend's_ lab when I was younger. Bumped into their desk... And couldn't walk for weeks." The albino had taken off one of his shoes and showed the affected area, the skin marred with patches of various hues of brown, white and red on his foot. The navigator couldn't help but wince in pain at the sight. An apologetic look was offered, which was immediately shrugged off by Thames, not really hurt by his burns any longer.

He may have left a few key things out in his explanation, but the navigator had no need to know the reason _why_ he decided to mess with the science scholars of Reveriel. He just had to make sure he wouldn't be able to get accepted by that faculty if Sensei ever put in a good word for him.

However, the albino would never do something so awful again, no matter how sound the idea was at the time. It kind of showed how stupid he was as a child when he decided to take a bottle that made cracking noises and pour it all over his feet. Even if the pain was unbearable, the utter look of resigned disappointment in his Sensei's eyes, was satisfying. (Thames had been dedicated when it came to his profession, and becoming a scientist meant even _more_ studying, which he had rather not do at all.)

"I won't let you lay a single finger on Laboon," An old man's voice cut through the chattering on the ship, gaining everyone's attention as they noticed Crocus at the exit. "For as long as I live!"

"Who's that old man?" Luffy asked due to his previous absence. Suddenly, the strangers stood up, weapons in their hands with a chuckle and pulled the triggers.

"We won't let you interfere with our whaling business any longer!"

Everything happened too fast, Thames couldn't see Crocus jumping and taking the blast of the bullets with his own body while Luffy knocked out the mysterious people on board at the same time and settled by just putting on his shoe, having really no care of what was currently occurring.

* * *

"Island whale?"

"It's the largest species of whale in the world", Crocus explained, "This one's name is Laboon." Thames was looking up dubiously at Luffy, who was climbing up a palm tree. The albino was faintly reminded of a monkey by looking at him, quite amused.

"These two are rogues from a nearby island." The old man continued, gaining Thames's attention again, "Their goal is to hunt Laboon, because the meat from Laboon can feed their town for 2-3 years." The albino crouched in front of the rogues with an icy stare while Crocus went into narrator mode, something Thames knew was a waste of time through experience, and decided to ignore his tale. Besides, there were no evil teachers who would hunt him down and shove unnecessary facts through his skull here.

"You dare to eat a masterpiece?" He whispered his threat.

"W-what?" The blue-haired woman, which Thames noted was actually younger than him, asked in a hushed voice. "What are you talking about?"

"The inside of this whale. Take a good look." The duo, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, did as they were told and only then realized the oddity of the belly. "Dried paint might not be as poisonous, but they do hold a percentage of toxic in them." A sheen of sweat appeared on their faces, paling when Thames tried to make eye contact with them.

"We... We really need to feed our people!" Mr. 9 whispered in defense, earning an impassive stare from the albino.

"If you want to be the cause of mass murder, I do not object", Thames said with a smirk before his public got knocked out, _again,_ when Luffy landed on them from the palm tree. "I was talking to them..."

"Hm? You were?" Thames sighed and decided to listen to Crocus again, though absentmindedly. While the old man talked about the sad past of the island whale, Merry and the island had already gone through the exit, sea water grazing the underside of the Straw Hats' ship as everyone was finally met with the clear blue sky and the noises from seagulls.

"A doctor?" Luffy's voice pierced through the albino's musings. "Then, join my crew as a doctor!" Thames got the faint impression that this was not new as he looked at the other Straw Hats for confirmation, _yep_ , and was wondering if all of this could have been avoided if he _hadn't_ drawn that drawing at all.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm too old to do reckless things unlike you youths", Crocus said.

"Oh, by the way", Usopp spoke up and looked at the unconscious rogues. "What do we do with them?"

"No witnesses. Kill them", was Thames's blunt answer which was denied vehemently by the sniper and the Straw Hats settled by throwing them overboard instead.

* * *

The albino thanked the cook for the cup of tea he received and inhaled the scent of herbs, enjoying the gentle breeze and faint waft of sea that hit him in the face. The ocean was, after all, the best place in the world, _hands down,_ he thought and sipped his tea.

Thames couldn't help but be slightly amused by the antics of these pirates he had accidentally tagged along with. It was amazing how different they were, yet they managed to be so well synced. If anything, he was a tad envious of their joy, but shook that unpleasant thought away by looking up at what Luffy were doing, whom was suddenly screaming so loudly.

The albino covered his mouth with a hand before he managed to spit out his tea, eyes widening at the sight of the Straw Hat captain holding on to the _main mast_ of their ship and a giggle built up as Thames laughed through snorts.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!"

"HE DESTROYED OUR SHIP!" Laboon was trying to shake off the offending piece of wood that stuck in his recent injury when he flung his head on to the cliff, sending Luffy right into the lighthouse and belled up again in agony. Thames blinked, sipping on his tea while he listened absentmindedly on what Luffy was spouting about, before he opened his mouth.

"This is animal cruelty." Crocus did not react to that however, and handed the requested paint buckets and paintbrush Luffy wanted.

"Hey, Whale! Come over here!" The Straw Hat captain shouted in glee, his paintbrush dipped in white paint, splatting on everything while he waved with it. "I'm gonna draw a promise!"

Sure enough, he did, but Thames was stricken with horror at the piece of art and tried to assess it in different ways, thinking that it was abstract art Luffy had done and not an attempt at painting his pirate symbol onto Laboon's head. _Respect art..._

"Alright! Don't bask your head against the wall and make it disappear before we come back!" Luffy finally said after he put on an adhesive plaster over the wound he had caused, finalizing his work. "It's a promise, you hear!?" The whale made no sound and decided to dive into the ocean, probably speechless, Thames reasoned, seeing as he was that himself.

"Oh? What are you drawing?" Luffy suddenly asked him and leaned over the albino, taking a good view of a big sheet of unknown material that Thames had thrown over the ground after he was done with his tea. "What's this?"

"Vinyl." Thames explained its uses as he drew the outline of a whale. "I wanted to leave something behind here for... Laboon? It's going to take a while before you... _return._ " The albino wasn't sure about the pronunciation but went with it nonetheless, expecting a correction from Luffy when realization hit him – Luffy wouldn't be able to tell right from wrong _either_.

Besides, after seeing the fear-inducing art the Straw Hat had created, Thames just didn't want to be associated with inadequacy, not that it mattered much, seeing as he had no faith in these pirates' survival.

"That's a great idea!" Luffy let out a familiar snicker, "Why don't you make one for us, too?"

"You want me to make a copy?" Thames wondered, receiving an excited nod. "It won't fit though..."

"We can always roll it up!"

"My paintings aren't mats, Straw Hat." Despite what Thames said and his deadpan expression, he opened his satchel and brought out a roll of thick fabric and unfolded it thrice, making an exact copy of the sketch that adorned the vinyl sheet.

"That's an awesome bag! How did that fit in!?" The albino explained absentmindedly about smart packing and to not judge one's worth because of appearance _vehemently,_ and just simplified it by telling Luffy it was a magic bag that was bigger on the inside when he was met with a confused expression after he was done with his first explanation.

Suddenly, an outraged shriek resounded through the place as everyone was about to take a break. Nami was losing her sanity as she stared down at her compass that made no sense while it was spinning around.

"What? You're being noisy." Luffy and Thames whipped their heads back to the table were Nami was seated next to. Sanji, followed by Usopp, made his concerns known when he graced the landmass.

"It's the compass!", Nami yelled angrily, "It's broken! It's pointing all over the place!" Thames stood up and took a look, mesmerized by the object.

"I've never seen such a thing before." The albino held it up as his eyes followed the swirling needle. "So, this is a compass?" He couldn't believe the huge gap of technology between Grand line and East Blue. To think that they had survived this far...

"What era are you from?" Nami made a snide comment and snatched back the device, obviously irritated at the revelation Crocus supplied her with. "Of course it's a compass! What else is there?"

"A Log Pose, for example", Crocus answered. "You'll need one to navigate through Grand Line."

"You mean, something like this?" Luffy showed said object after the old man had explained thoroughly the benefits of one. Thames blinked and patted on his pockets, _all_ of them and even rummaged through his satchel before he held on to the Straw Hat captain with a firm grip.

"Hey, Straw Hat." Said person blinked as he was raised several feet above ground, a ridiculous sight when Luffy was already a head taller than the albino. "When did you decide to tell me about you having my Eternal Pose in your possession?" Thames was seething, flustered by the fact he hadn't seen Luffy taking it in the first place. _When did he do that?_

"Eternal Pose?" _Reveriel_ was written on the hourglass-like device and Nami remembered Thames telling her the name of his home island. "What's that?"

"An Eternal Pose is almost the same as a Log Pose", Crocus clarified while Thames tried to pry the Eternal Pose from Luffy's rubber fingers with little to no success. "However, while a Log Pose resets its recording on new islands, an Eternal Pose always points to the same island, no matter how long it stays elsewhere."

"I see..." Nami mused, "Then you're really from Grand Line, huh." She directed her question to Thames, who immediately soured for being doubted. "But, it's useless if we don't have a Log Pose!"

"What about this, then?" Luffy finally let go of the Eternal Pose and pulled out another device from his pockets, this time, a Log Pose, and handed it over to Nami, after she had hit him squarely in the face with a fist.

"I'll take good care of you, Log Pose", Nami said, pleased with Luffy's findings before Sanji kicked the Straw Hat captain (for eating all the food), who broke the device by hitting it with his hand. Needless to say, Thames found it rather peaceful when the cook and the captain of the ship was swimming with the fish and proceeded with the paintings.

"Don't worry, I'll give you one as a sign of thanks for the matter with Laboon", Crocus said when Nami looked distraught after the idiocy of her fellow crewmates, and handed one over as he explained in detail what it would do.

"Hm?" Usopp finally took notice of Thames and his eyes widened when he saw what the albino was doing. "Huge!"

"Is it?" The artist mused and made some incredibly detailed work on the whale's scars that was depicted on the sheet. The sniper approached the canvases and looked at them in amazement, awed at the replica Thames painted.

"Yeah! It's incredible!" The albino blinked and felt his ears turning pink. "You know, I'm an artist too!" Interest picked, Thames patted on the ground next to him to indicate where Usopp should sit and shared a few stories with each other during the creation of art.

"But to pick it up from drawing on people's houses", Thames let his amusement known with a snicker. "That's definitely a skill you have, uh..." The albino blinked, unsure of the sniper's name.

"It's Usopp", said person supplied helpfully with a smile, happy to share some of his talents with someone. "And a whole island filled with artists? Really?"

"Reveriel is famous for its arts, whether it be like this", Thames made a movement with his hand over the paintings. "Music or anything of _aesthetic_ value." Usopp hummed, caught up in his musings when the albino finally jotted down some initials on the paintings.

"Oh no..." Thames looked down at his error and berated himself mentally for writing down _S.H_ and not his own initials. He hoped his Sensei wouldn't hear him using those... Because there was no way his mentor would be pleased by a student that kept using _his_ initials.

At least, it was harmless art this time.

"...Does it stand for 'Straw Hats'?" Usopp asked after hearing the albino's distress, who could only nod in defeat, too embarrassed to correct the sniper. _Sure, let's go with that._

"My apologies, I wasn't thinking properly. And now..." Thames made a swift movement, about to rip the offending piece of art in two when Usopp held him down.

"I-It's okay! Don't think too hard on it!"

"I'm not a part of your crew, yet I used your initials! How can I not–" The sniper bonked on the artist's head, snapping him out of the frenzy he was in.

"Thames, I know you still haven't officially joined us-"

"That's because I don't want to!" Thames cut him off, but the sniper continued nonetheless.

"-And Luffy won't ever take your refusal, trust me, Sanji tried, but he was convinced in the end-"

"Why are you following a dictator? Are you sheeple?" Usopp stopped his monologue, mouthing "sheeple" in confusion before shaking his head and cut to the chase.

"The point is, we don't mind. For the time being, you're on Going Merry, which makes you a Straw Hat. Until you leave, I guess. So go on, go use our initials!" Thames stared at the sniper and nodded mutely, finally accepting his reasoning and pointed at the sudden appearance of Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, having eavesdropped on their conversation with Nami and Luffy while Usopp gave his speech.

"Does that mean they're Straw Hats, as well?" Usopp squinted and a faint mutter of "Merry would never accept them" came from his mouth while he shook his head, standing up and heading for the ship, wanting to fix it before they left Twin Capes.

Thames stared at the Straw Hat Pirates and then down on his painting, Luffy's symbol scarring his mind.

"A temporary Straw Hat, huh?" He mused as he finally scribbled down _D.T_ on the other painting after it had dried. "Can I put piracy in a resume, I wonder?"

* * *

Usopp had made a good job fixing up Merry, Thames noted as he observed the sniper's handiwork in front of him. Not that the albino knew anything about boats, but at least, the figurehead was attached correctly. He remembered a time when he had broken his favorite easel and almost got his eye impaled during reparation time. Needless to say, it was a hard time to earn money and buy a new one. Especially if no one wanted to give him a job...

"Now, you", Crocus said, gaining Thames's attention, a look of disapproval on the old man's face. "You shouldn't be sailing around so far away from home, brat."

"I prefer Thames. May I inquire why?" The doctor gave him a look that said _everything._

"An albino needs to take great care, especially in the sun or he'll be useless." Thames frowned and hid his lower face behind the collar of the coat, his eyes avoiding Crocus's glare. "Also, you may be able to cover up your vision problems from time to time. However, what happens when far objects hit and you find yourself out cold in the sun?" Thames didn't like doctors, mostly because of them throwing facts around all the time and also because they were usually correct.

The fact that he was terrorized by doctors during his childhood didn't help much either. Like, come on, he wasn't the only case of albinism on his island, he didn't need to be treated like a walking curse that emitted the effects by simply breathing. _Cursed superstitious people..._

"That's my issue", the albino finally cut the old man off nicely. "I have my ways to survive. By the way, my vision isn't _that_ horrible."

"I beg to differ, brat." Thames rolled his eyes and tilted his head to the right, a smirk on his lips when Crocus grimaced.

"Anyway, I thought you and Laboon might like this." The artist gave a roll of vinyl to the old man before he went on board Merry. With a shout from Luffy and the crew, the ship sailed, Laboon belling up a happy tune while they departed.

Crocus chuckled as he unrolled the drawing, faintly amazed by the depiction of Laboon with a promise adorning his head. He himself, along with the five members of the Straw Hat Crew were painted on, reminding Crocus of the joyful break they had had earlier today.

"What do you think, Laboon?" Said whale belled up again happily and Crocus laughed as he absently glanced down to the lower right corner of the vinyl sheet.

 _S.H_

* * *

 **A/N:** What a mess I've become, inhaling tea like an addict. I wrote this chapter **_today_** and I seem to have lost the concept of reality and dream. Again. I had no intention of updating the next chapter so soon (because I am an erratic writer) but miracles have happened and I thought you peeps deserved it. Even though I am certain this has caused a massive headache.

Thank you once again for your support, either it be on this site or other (tumblr, mostly...) If you have any suggestions, questions or criticism, do tell me! Or if you want to hang out with a dweeb, you're welcome...

P.S: How tall do you think Thames is? Hint: Above 140cm at least (4'7 ft, I think)

a) A number of your own choosing b) Snails have irrelevant heights c) Other

 **Replies to the previous P.S:**

 **Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin:** Your answer is precious, I'm glad that _someone_ doesn't think of weird things, unlike a certain person on a certain site that I know of...

 **Potential Paradox:** This is rated T for a reason, friend. I hope that explains it. (He would prolly beat himself to a pulp for treating Thames like that) **Bonus:** No, you can't pet 'im. The snail has probably rabies for all I know.

The other answers have already been replied on my tumblr so check them out!

 **-Nart**


	4. What do you mean I can't kill them off

**ATTENTION! CHECK THE FIRST CHAPTER IF YOU'RE AN OLD READER, PROCEED IF NEW**

 **Wonders of the World**

 **Draft no. 3**

 _"What do you mean I can't kill this crew without repercussions."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

Something or _someone_ out there, is having the time of their life while they're pointing and laughing at me, betting on what I should lose next. Jokes on them, I've already lost my sanity as well as all of my fucks. Also, I do _not_ need a therapist.

* * *

He exhaled deeply and shut his eyes for a moment, standing tall and silent as he listened to the crashing waves, until he got an elbow right to the back of his head, earning a reddening, horizontal mark across his forehead. _What the actual fuck–_

Thames lifted his head from the railings and turned around with a glare towards his offender.

"Oops, sorry!" Luffy said carelessly, ceasing with his stretching while sitting down on the deck next to the albino. "What are ya up to?" The younger teen looked up curiously, clearly unaware of the mental tirade Thames was having against him.

"Contemplating about murder", the albino replied darkly before taking a seat as well, his legs dangling in the air and his gaze lingering on the ocean. _Yours, in particular._

"That's bad."

"I commend you for pointing out the obvious." Thames didn't expect the captain to click with his tongue and shake his head in disappointment while looking back at him, mortifying the albino. It was as if he was being berated by a _child._

"You should go to jail", Luffy said with a frown. _A pirate with morals, how charming_ , Thames thought while rolling his eyes.

"The same applies to _you_."

"Well, I'm currently at sea and I still have to find One Piece before I can do that", the captain answered bluntly. "Ah, but I don't have any plans to get caught anyways." The artist glanced through the corner of his eyes at the snickering pirate before he himself snorted in amusement. _Moron._

"Quite admirable that you manage to stay so positive when your days are already counted." Luffy's toothy grin was nullified as he bared his teeth and scrunched up his nose at the remark.

"You're such a passion fruit. You should live a little!" _Passion fruit...?_ Thames didn't bother correcting the younger teen nor acknowledge it as he resumed his silent gazing at the sunrise.

After a couple of minutes, the albino raised a flat hand near his lips, eyes dead set on the waves while he lowered the limb, as if he was blowing a kiss towards the ocean. Luffy blinked and tilted his head in wonder when Thames turned his attention back to the captain.

"I was being grateful", he explained.

"For the ocean?" A smile adorned the albino's face as he gingerly stood up, quickly followed by Luffy repeating the same motions, which earned a wider smile from Thames.

"For the dead." Luffy's movements came to a halt, his fingers a few inches away from his own mouth as he gave the albino a look that questioned his sanity. "Shouldn't you move along before you become one of them?"

"No thanks. Anyway", Luffy changed the topic easily with a grin. "It's time for breakfast!" Thames gave him a deadpan stare before he locked himself in place with his feet, hands tightly latching onto the wood while the captain wrapped his arms around the albino's waist, pulling on him towards the galley.

"Let go of me!"

"Come on, everyone's waiting for us!" the captain whined, a remarkable crack coming from the railings when he pulled harder. "Sanji's made lots!" _That's what I'm afraid of._

A cook on the sea was an archenemy of Thames; adamant on feeding everyone aboard a ship and keeping them healthy and alive, something that went against the albino's daily routine. He didn't want to eat. The problem was, Sanji knew it pretty goddamn well too by now, seeing as Thames avoided the kitchen as if it was a plague whenever it was mealtime. Oh, but the cook was persistent and the artist was running out of excuses, accepting the food hesitantly once he admitted defeat, only to give it away to Luffy once Sanji was nowhere in sight.

Well, that was before the blond managed to persuade the captain in bringing the albino with him. Like now, for example.

"Oh, good job bringing in fish breath with you, Luffy. Food's on the table." The artist came back to reality and reluctantly let his hands fall down to his sides with a defeated look, the wood long gone from his fingers. _How–when did he–fuck._

Thames silently wished death upon the Straw Hat and his questionable means to get him inside the galley whilst watching Luffy stretch out an arm to grab a slice of toast from Usopp's hands before the exuberant captain sat down at the table and shoved more food into his mouth.

"Nice of you showing up." The albino almost flinched at the blond's words, schooling his expression in time, still hesitating to exchange looks with Sanji. "Care to take a seat?"

Ugh, why did he have to fear _him_ of all people? The door was right behind him, slightly ajar after Luffy's hasty entrance. He could just walk out at any moment!

Despite the amiable ambiance in the galley, Thames couldn't help but feel cornered like a mouse at the sight of the cook holding a plate of white, neat triangular forms. He really did _not_ like where this was heading to.

"Please, don't mind me." The artist did his best to keep a desperate tone away from his voice as he held up a hand in the air, moving it unconsciously closer to his mouth, knuckles slightly brushing his lips while he stared at the terror right in the eyes. The cook went through old motions with his free hand and lit up a crooked cigarette as he pushed the plate forward. Thames cut off a squeak midway when the porcelain touched his palm, earning a raised eyebrow in bemusement.

"It's just rice balls", Sanji told him while assessing the treats critically and then Thames with a stare. "Don't think I haven't noticed you wasting my food these past days." The artist blinked and avoided the accusing stare hastily, mumbling something about offering it to Luffy instead, which only intensified the glare from the cook.

"Is something wrong with my cooking?" A look of understanding appeared in his eye suddenly. "Are you allergic?" The artist was torn between lying through his teeth and ceasing to exist but when Sanji didn't receive an answer it was kind of obvious that he had chosen the latter and failed utterly in the process, making the blond scowl at the revelation.

"I'm not hungry, that's all", Thames said quickly in a higher voice and yelped when the cook grasped his wrist tightly and pulled it away from his face, his only defense from the evil dish gone.

"You haven't eaten a single thing since you appeared on this ship, fish breath. So, do me a favor and _eat._ " The albino shook his head rapidly and clamped his lips together tightly, right in time before Sanji picked one of the triangles up and practically shoved it into Thames's face. "Just eat it, goddammit!"

After some prying, the cook managed to make the artist inhale two-thirds of the dish and smiled widely, totally ignoring the sour expression on the albino as he let go of his wrist. Thames was hesitating between spitting the content right back at Sanji's face or drench the mouthful in saliva as he swallowed it while holding his breath, settling for the latter and killing the urge to vomit. _Dried plum... Of all things to get worked up on..._

"That wasn't so bad, eh?" The blond commented with a grin before bringing up the plate again in front of the shorter teen's face. The albino reacted immediately with both of his hands covering his mouth while shaking his head in a panicky state, refusing the offer in possibly the kindest way he could think of at the moment as he backpedaled and pushed the door open with his heel, dashing out of the galley with a bang.

The truth was, Thames was _fucking_ terrified of food. If he could, he would always refuse it and find the closest pharmacy to buy vitamin supplements instead, which more or less put a huge dent in his savings... (Worth every single Beli he earned.) Although, pharmacies were scarce and his patience even less, making him go without food for days.

He had been so young, so gullible, so fucking stupid (still was) for believing every single word that came out of older kids' mouths as they described in detail what the food consisted of with their wicked fantasy. He used to find the oddest things (frogs, copper flakes, toothbrushes, etc) in his meals, developing a clear distrust for all kinds of solid foods in the future.

This was worsened when he had seen what the school's chefs did in the kitchen (no one had told him that they loved to prank children who dared to sneak in and take a snack.) He couldn't be blamed for not wanting to eat something so distrusting as a rice ball, with whatever filling it could have. A death trap like that was a big no for him. _But_ _I survived._ That he did.

It was still early, the sun barely a couple of inches away from the skyline, yet Thames felt exhaustion creeping onto him even more than before the previous day. He let out a tired sigh while rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand, wishing for some peace. _What a rambunctious crew._

A strong rush of wind ruffled his hair, tangerine leaves plastering onto his cheek before he glanced up to the fruit trees. If no peace would come to him, he would find his own.

* * *

To be honest, the albino hadn't expected the cruise to go so well. Here he was, nestled between two tangerine trees and nursing a cup of blue tea (he'd accepted it like a lifeline from Sanji, despite the previous experience) in his hand while snow decorated the ship _._ So far, he was still alive and partially _sane._

Thames had had a rough start this month; getting on board a marine ship that headed to Logue Town with a nosy child that wouldn't, _couldn't_ , be quiet and made a fuss by just simply breathing; trying to hide his gigantic sword from civilians before marines would get wind of his existence and get the _Council_ involved, thus, ending his sporadic journey. _Killjoy._

And lastly, this, _this clusterfuck_ of a pirate crew. He didn't know where to start. Thames knitted his eyebrows together and shut his eyes in frustration, a hand massaging his temples. The albino couldn't say that the Straw Hats were a weird bunch of pirates, seeing as he didn't know anyone in piracy that well. Furthermore, Thames had no right to judge in the first place, having preached about people to be open-minded and accept his art despite his appearance ever since he was young...

If prejudice was uncommon, then superstition was a daily occurrence in Reveriel. (Of fucking course was he a witch, _not._ )

The albino tilted his head to the left while yanking off a tangerine, throwing the fruit back at the person who dared to catapult a snowball at him. A yelp of pain was heard before he opened his eyes, a deadpan stare on Usopp's crooked nose.

"I'b sobby!" The sniper wailed as he tried to straighten his nose, glaring at his captain for laughing so hard while pointing at him. He recovered quickly and changed victim instead, an impressive wall of snowballs being thrown at Luffy.

"Whoa!" Thames blinked before he shook his head at their antics, mourning the loss of the warmth of his tea as the snow had fallen in it when he'd dodged. The albino decided to lay down amongst the trees, arms and hands acting as his pillow while he looked up to the ever-changing sky.

He had liked to explore more of East Blue while he was there, appreciating the calm weather for once. He soured immediately at the sound of a familiar snicker echoing in his mind and groaned. Luffy seemed to haunt him even in his thoughts.

May it be his defective gene or whatever, but Thames fully believed in Luffy's tale. It took talent to craft such a story, but only experience to make it believable. Furthermore, after having traveled with the Straw Hats for two days while observing how they meshed together, Thames was certain that a great portion of Luffy's story telling was true, if not everything.

Oh, but who was he to convince? The albino was a sucker for tales, mostly because he would use the benefit of a sudden spark of inspiration and paint vivid images from said things, causing a ruckus or two with mythical creatures rampaging in Reveriel. _Good times, good times._

"Where were you?!" A female redhead screeched from the deck while waving a clenched fist in the air towards him, earning the albino's attention. "What were you doing while we had a weather disaster!?" Thames scratched his cheek as he landed on the deck, becoming wary the moment he saw Nami's fist.

"My apologies. I wasn't aware of the weather change." She nailed him in the head for that.

"You blind bat! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't send you to oblivion, right now!" The albino clutched his head in pain, pushing down his foul lingo that threatened to spill out of his mouth.

"I... was thinking of ways to repay you before I leave your ship", Thames lied smoothly, defusing Nami's rage in a snap while Luffy shouted defiantly in the background.

"Repay?" For a moment, he thought he had seen Beli signs in her eyes when he blinked rapidly but was met with normal, light brown eyes. "Oh you, you really don't have to..." A hand covered her smile as she waved with her other hand, looking all coyly back at him.

"I insist", Thames said with a strained smile, letting go of his head. "Even though I ended up on your ship... I did get into Grand Line, which I must thank you greatly for." The albino rummaged through his bag with an apologetic look, fingers sliding over pencils and vitamin packages before he pulled out a wooden box and handed it over to a very disappointed-looking Nami. This was just a spur of the moment, but he hoped it was good enough to diffuse the fury the woman had.

"Oh... Thank you." Thames couldn't help but smile widely before he covered it with the back of his hand, looking away in amusement when he had seen the navigator's lost look.

"Pardon for the lack of appropriate gift", he added. "But it ought to be sold for a hefty price if you were to run out of money." Nami beamed and caressed the wooden box.

"And what would the price usually be?" The albino beckoned her to get closer with two fingers, whispering the amount in her ear as she giggled happily.

"But, what is it?" Luffy asked after he snatched the wooden box from the navigator's hands, shaking it vigorously as if to see if there was anything valuable inside.

"It's a music box, isn't it?" Sanji said as he took the delicate object from his captain, lifting up the lid of said thing. A little figurine of a dolphin sprang up as he did, a charming tune playing. "It's nice..."

"Hm, it's a bit unusual, though. I've never heard a melody like that", Ms. Wednesday suddenly spoke up after listening to the repeating tune, gaining everyone's attention while she paled. "I-I mean-"

"It's fine", Thames cut her off, easing her distress as the attention shifted back to the albino. He had forgotten that the rogues had been traveling with them... "Grand Line is vast and so is the music. A ditty you recognize from your childhood would most likely never reach the ears of a New World resident. The same applies the other way." Nami frowned before she snapped her fingers, recognizing that word.

"You said New World, again. What is that?" Thames stared off into the distance, ignoring Nami's demands. "Just tell me already!" While the navigator tried to pry out the answer from the albino, the other Straw Hats were having fun with the music box.

Apparently, Usopp had figured out the contraption somehow, right after Luffy had dropped the box by trying to take it back from the cook. The dolphin had come off and the music ended abruptly but resumed immediately once the figurine was inserted into the hole. A jagged, daunting tune reverberated through the ship when the sniper continued the motion until Nami slapped him in the back of his head, ordering him to cut it out before she redirected her full attention to Thames. "Seriously, you should tell us. We're still going to wind up in New World sooner or later."

"Hubris is a dangerous thing, _miss_ ", the albino remarked. "You might find yourself dead by tomorrow with such a mindset."

"We won't die so easily", Luffy assured. Thames let out a hum of approval, content by not revealing the disasters that were probably going to happen to the pirates. They could figure out themselves, for all he cared. Oh, but he had no faith in them to begin with.

"I'll hold you to that. I do want to see your execution in all its glory one day, after all." Luffy snickered before he nodded his head in agreement. "By the way, here you go." Thames brought out a couple of figurines from his pocket and handed them over to Usopp. The sniper and the captain looked at them in wonder before they figured out their purpose and switched the dolphin with a frog, an upbeat tune with croaking in the background playing instead, to their amusement.

"So cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "Nami, we've gotta keep it!" Said person scowled while she took back the music box from them, receiving whines from the duo.

" _No_ , this one's for selling", she said with an air of finality and headed to her room, intent on getting loads of money once she reached land. Thames avoided eye contact with Luffy and Usopp as best as he could but failed miserably when Luffy grabbed his shoulders, shaking him back and forth like a rag doll.

"I don't have another one." The Straw Hat captain seemed to have no ears, nor an idea of what privacy was as he stared intently at Thames's face, expecting him to _possibly_ cough up a music box or five. _I'm no machine._

"As your captain, I demand you to give me one!" The albino felt his jaw drop at the absurd request and mentally slapped himself in the face.

"Your expectations of me are ludicrous", he remarked in a deadpan voice, slightly irritated when Luffy shook him harder. "Besides, you are _not_ my captain." Thames pushed the offending human away from him, barely successful in removing the steel grip on his shoulders.

"I am too!" Luffy said with a pout as he crossed his arms, not acknowledging the albino's judging stare.

"Are you ten? Because you act like you were born yesterday." An indignant shout was heard before Usopp intervened while Sanji brought Thames out of his musings.

"So, what's up with the music box?"

"Just a popular thing amongst my people." Sanji raised his eyebrow, clearly not expecting Thames to be interested in such kind of stuff. "Made of bones." A heavy silence ensued as the fainthearted squirmed at the revelation, an eery chuckle coming out of the albino.

Some people collected bottle caps, some did drugs. But literally every child on Reveriel owned a music box, mostly because artisanry was mandatory and the final project was either that or a chair (and none wanted to make a fucking piece of furniture.)

The subject itself was a joke, and Thames was possibly not the only one but was definitely one of them who went out and bought a music box. They were cheap, and the cheaper it was, the weirder stuff it was made from, something he didn't mind at all. Furthermore, the tune could be easily changed by just switching figurines, a hit amongst collectors and children.

"Anyway, creepy stuff aside", Nami suddenly said from behind, having put her recent money-earner in a safe place. "The first leg of our journey is over. Look over there." And just where her finger was pointed at, cacti appeared on the horizon, indicating that the ship was approaching its first destination.

"An island!" As if on cue, the rogues jumped onto the railing, biding their farewells and gratitude before somersaulting into the ocean, leaving a confused crew behind.

"What is up with those two..." Usopp couldn't help but remark.

"It doesn't matter! Prepare for land!" The pirates came to life as they bustled around, leaving an artist to his own musings as he stood next to the door of the galley. Finally. Finally, he would be set free from this madness in the form of the Straw Hat pirates.

Thames chuckled darkly to himself, thinking about the shady project he had done before he left for East Blue. Ah, not that it was particularly _shady_ , just that it was heavily frowned upon when he did it. He could resume it, though, and that was his plan. _Gotta keep up with the family business and all._

A finger was suddenly poking his cheek, making the albino glance towards his offender and turn his head around, steely eyes piercing through the captain of the ship. Luffy grinned widely as he stopped with his poking, finally earning Thames's attention.

"Can I be of service?" he asked warily before he slapped away the hand.

"Yeah, join me!" The albino blinked, narrowing his eyebrows.

"I refuse." _There_. It felt amazing to finally say that. Luffy pressed his face to Thames's, the brim of the straw hat pushing up the albino's bangs. Thames let out an undignified noise while he tried to push away the taller one of them, failing miserably because of Luffy's insistent presence. " _Cease and desist, you_ _fucking_ _neande–_ "

"Join meee!" Luffy cut off and screeched in Thames's ears. A childish _"Stranger Danger!"_ was at the tip of his lips before the albino swallowed it harshly, managing to get a hand between their faces and push the exuberant captain away from him.

"Why!?" Thames asked hurriedly while slapping away Luffy's hands. "I have no value to you!" He was _not_ panicking, he was just genuinely distressed by this terror that knew nothing of personal space and giving up like a normal human being. Also, he did _not_ want to be a pirate. He preferred being on the good side of the law. _Most times._ When it suited him.

"But you're funny, and you draw cool stuff too!" Thames stilled, ignoring the faint slaps to the cheeks he got from Luffy as the rubber man ("Oi, Thames, you there?") tried to get his attention again. How was he going to get out of this mess? Luffy was impossible to reason with. _Oh._

"Mi–Nami-san!" The albino cried out, running away from Luffy as well as receiving said person's attention. The Straw Hat Captain looked befuddled by the sudden outburst before it dawned upon him as he ran after Thames, wanting to have a say in the whole matter as the captain.

The faint sound of cheering reverberated throughout the place in the background, the ship having finally reached Whiskey Peak and its welcoming inhabitants.

* * *

"This is farewell, then", Thames said to the pirate crew. He had had problems trying to convince the captain of the ship, but with the help of the others, Luffy finally agreed, albeit with a pout and a scowl. Nami had pointed out that the albino had _no_ obligations to join them, no debts whatsoever Luffy could call in to make the artist stay. Furthermore, the fact that Thames was dragged along without even getting the proposal of joining them (only according to her, he refused to say anything about that), was kind of brutal, even by her standards.

"Yeah..." Luffy muttered, still depressed at seeing Thames go.

"... Even if you say that", Thames added, a deadpan expression on his face. "Why won't you let go?" Luffy's arms were wrapped around the albino's waist, making him unable to leave the ship. Thames struggled in Straw Hat's hold, gasping for air as the hold tightened. "You agreed to leave me be once we reached land. We have _done_ that!"

"Oi, Luffy. You should let Thames go", Usopp spoke up, pulling on Luffy's arms. "Just say goodbye properly, already!" The albino paled considerably when the captain of the ship picked him up and swung him around like a carousel. _Dizzy..._

"I'm gonna miss you so much!" Thames made a commitment to _never_ do that, despite how much or little the Straw Hat Crew had grown on him. "You can't leave!"

"Put me down... Please..." Luffy's crewmates didn't make an attempt to rescue Thames from his demise until he flung a hand over his mouth, nausea eating him up. It wasn't until he was standing safely on the deck with Luffy far away from him before he finally straightened up with an exhausted expression.

"It's been fun having you around." Thames couldn't tell whether this was true or not, seeing as he still wasn't in the form to analyze every word that came out of the navigator's mouth. "What are you going to do now, though?"

"I'll continue traveling, _at my own pace_ ", Thames added after having seen Luffy's eyes shining while cold shivers ran down his spine. "I still want to paint the wonders of the world, which requires me to head back to East Blue." A deadpan stare was aimed at Luffy, who blinked owlishly as if he forgot _how_ Thames got onto the ship.

"Well, maybe we'll meet again!" _I hope not_. Thames strained a smile at Usopp's hopeful expression and turned around, walking down the gangplank with a wave with his hand, not looking back once as he vanished in the cheering crowds.

* * *

"Hey..." Usopp said with a hand under his chin and a contemplating look. "Wasn't Thames missing something?" A chorus of no's was heard on Merry as the pirate crew descended and was met by the very mayor of the island.

The sniper shook his head, clearly at fault for doubting that Thames would leave behind his weapon after going so far for it. Usopp tagged along his crewmates, hyped up by the sudden interest the locals had in his tales.

* * *

Thames didn't know how he was going to approach his problem. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled deeply. He was running out of paint and _really really needed to draw the cacti, he couldn't just ignore the urge, his muse_. Besides, it seemed that every shop was closed; a frown adorned his face when he thought of the very reason: Straw Hats.

The albino tilted his head to the right, arms crossed as he stared at the magnificent plants. Well, it wasn't as if he could make a sketch out of the cacti that far away, so there was no need to be depressed before he reached them.

"Mister!" Thames blinked before he looked down, an eye twitching at the sight of a boy with snot running from his nose. _Children._ "Are you looking for something?"

"Do you mind pointing me to the closest store with art supplies, which has yet to be closed at this hour?" The boy gaped in confusion before Thames simplified his question and was led to, lo and behold, the _first_ store he had gone to. He wasn't going to question that it was closed before, as long as he got his things.

Another surprise, yet appreciated nonetheless, was that due to association (the Straw Hats had _some_ uses, it seemed), he received his supplies with a major discount. Even though the quality of some of these tubes wasn't what Thames was used to, it would do. Besides, paint was expensive, regardless of where you were in the world.

Purchased things and relieved from his distress from before, the albino headed to the closest cactus, which would probably take the whole night, Thames noted. With a lazy stride and the occasional appreciating glance to the scenery, the albino walked through the town, his heels hitting the pavement harshly as they led him up to the majestic plant in sight.

Thames wasn't disappointed at the revelation after seeing the cactus-shaped mountains with tombstones sticking up like a curled up hedgehog. In fact, he was slightly awed at the intelligent cover and praised the people who originally came up with the idea. If only he had been there to see them actually putting up the tombstones...

A faint rustle was heard behind him.

"Greetings, gentlemen." Thames turned around on one of his heels, having let some townspeople follow after him on purpose. Because, really, he wasn't _dumb_ , what kind of town would welcome a bunch of pirates with no ulterior motives? Besides, there was no way that a child suddenly turning up and helping him out could be trusted. (No, he was not paranoid. Children were evil.) "Do you require my assistance?"

One of the locals, with the appearance of a monk, smiled ruefully back at Thames, paling when the albino gave him a knowing look. "Oh, because of the party downtown, we thought you would like to join as well."

"Your concern is noted", Thames said with a nod, his eyes taking in the situation that was unfolding in front of him. "However, I was drawn to these... mountains and wanted to make a painting of them. I hope you don't mind." He flickered with his hand towards the cacti.

"Of course not!" The monk broke out in sweat as he wrung his hands. "It's just that parties don't last forever. Besides, a view like this won't change tomorrow!" The albino hummed in fake contemplation, a hand under his chin before he stared back impassively at the locals.

"Yet, if I were to leave with you... I think there would be some additions here and there, no?"

"Don't be silly!" A mouse-like man said, his legs trembling. "Those tombstones are for the people who died here!"

"Exactly." Thames tilted his head to the right as he brought a hand to his satchel, ready to pull out his sword. "I hope you find peace once I'm done with your burials." The locals dropped their act and made an outraged noise, drawing their weapons while they charged at him. The albino sighed resignedly before he took a leap backward and opened his bag, pulling out... _nothing_ _._

Thames blinked. Well, this was awkward. He dodged the shovel aimed at his head and crouched down, tripping the offender by sweeping a leg. Thames was dodging blows as he mentally berated himself. Somehow, too caught up in his world, he had forgotten his sword on the pirate ship. Right in a corner inside the galley. _Fuck._

How was he supposed to get back onto the ship and retrieve his sword when the Straw Hats expected to have nothing to do with him any longer? Well, that was what _he_ expected, and it was going to be disastrous if he saw them again.

"Stop dodging and die already!" The monk cried out while swinging a hoe over Thames's head, missing his target by a mile. The albino took a step forward, taking a hold onto the monk's shirt and brought his knee up as he pulled the man towards him, a satisfying _Crack!_ resounding throughout the place before Thames let go of an apparently unconscious monk.

"My apologies, I don't want to sully the scenery with your body fluids."

His eyes took a dangerous glint as Thames made a quick but wobbly one handstand, his legs in mid-air before his limbs descended and crashed into the face of the mouse-like man, knocking the local out as well. The albino brought the other hand down to the ground while bending his arms as he pivoted with his upper body, hoisting up his legs again as they made a quick circular motion and hit the remaining two offenders in the throat.

With the locals defeated, Thames stood on his legs gingerly, looking for his bag he had thrown away somewhere during the fight. It was dangling conveniently from a tombstone that stuck out horizontally. The albino took a look at the cactus as he flung his satchel over his shoulder, torn between painting and fetching his sword. He decided that his sword could wait for a couple of minutes more while he brought out a sketch pad and some ink...

* * *

Thames had no idea where he was heading to, but he hoped, wherever he was, he was going the right way. Well, as long as he followed the gunshots, he was positive that he was on the right path at least. Furthermore, nights tended to be good for his eyes, so he wouldn't have to worry about stinging sunlight that would suck out his soul. (Not that he had one from the beginning.)

What made him worry right now, though, was what his sword would do if it knew about his error. Sometimes, swords were harder to appease than people. Thames had experienced this a couple of times when he was younger, having dropped his nodachi in mud the first time he had taken it due to its immense weight. The damned blade would not cut after that incident, no matter how much he swung it around like a brute.

That was until he pointed the edge towards himself. Because the sword loathed him the very moment the albino had gotten a hold of the nodachi and didn't care what happened to its new owner, as long as it could behead him. Thames made a great effort to never anger it from that day. Unless it was lazier than usual, because then, a scabbard would turn undoubtedly prettier. Pastel colors were a hit amongst children, after all.

"G-gaah!" The albino stopped abruptly from his running and dropped to his knees with a wary look, ready to fight. He could see a staggering form from the corners of his eyes before it fell flat on the ground on its back, panting loudly. "Shit..." Thames stood up and walked over, looking at the pitiful sight in front of him in amusement.

"I must say, that cut brings out your eyes", he mused as the wounded man clutched his injury on his torso tightly. The man raised one of his hands in a pleading motion.

"H-help me, please..."

"After your death, perhaps." Thames was about to resume his running when he looked up to the crescent moon, a familiar silhouette flying past. He paled and accidentally stepped over the wounded man, earning a gurgling noise before it ended abruptly as the victim fell unconscious.

If Zoro was awake, what about the others? He _had_ to go and get his weapon before they noticed him! However, the path that was ahead of him wasn't safe, Thames would be detected in just a few minutes... Stealth be damned, his Sensei had nothing on him.

Thames continued with his quick pace, avoiding the falling bodies of victims while someone pushed them down. If it wasn't for his anxiety, the albino would appreciate the morbid sight happily, maybe even make a depiction of it. He took a left and finally saw a familiar ship ahead of him, immediately pleased as he picked up his pace.

A loud _Quack!_ to his right was heard before a gigantic bird crashed into him, making Thames break the wall of a nearby inn and land ungracefully on the floor. He sat up and blinked in shock, his mind was not coping with the fact that he was just ran over by a _duck_ of all things. And here he thought rabbits were nasty.

"That's how it went..." Thames tensed when he heard a familiar, nasal voice. _Usopp._ The albino looked around the inn and had the urge to scream in frustration when his eyes landed on two members of the Straw Hats, sleeping soundly. He took it back, stealth was good. _Forgive me, Sensei, for I have sinned by not heeding your advice._

Thames rose up to his feet while he dusted off his coat, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He ran a hand through his hair while looking for the inn's entrance, spotting it behind a flipped-over table with a familiar sniper lying hazardously over it.

The albino walked over and was about to head out when the table suddenly moved and tumbled over him, Usopp having apparently moved during his sleep. The younger male blinked away the sleep and grinned when he saw Thames under him with an expression that reminded the sniper of a rabbit caught in a trap. _Well fucked._

"Thaameees! 'S good to see you!" Usopp slurred and made a wobbly thumbs up before he sat up, hiccuping with a giggle.

"Contrariwise." The sniper snickered and Thames had a feeling he wouldn't get away unless bodily harm was inflicted on the sniper. Of course, the albino had nothing against it, but at the moment, he couldn't feel his legs. _Thank you piece of burnable furniture_ , he commented drily to himself.

"Hey, Thames. You want to hear how I defeated this big squid?" Said person averted his face from Usopp's stinky breath, making an extra precaution by pushing Usopp's face to the other side with a hand.

"I have no interest in–", The albino trailed off, his eyes widening when he saw the sniper's sudden, whitening face.

"Ugh", Usopp covered his mouth with both of his hands, nauseated. "I don't feel so good..." Thames blinked before it dawned upon him, pushing the sniper away from his own torso before it was too late.

"W-wait, don't v–" A cascade of barf hit him in the face, dripping from his chin as it soaked his clothes. The rank smell of vomit mixed with alcohol was overwhelming; the albino seething under a passed out, but remarkably clean, Usopp. _Nobody would miss a sniper now, would they?_

Oh. Certainly not. Thames would kill them all before they suspected.

The albino wiped off the puke from his face while he mentally recited the various body parts and terms of human anatomy, followed by a description on how to torture said being in a most gruesome and painful way to calm himself down. (Years of anatomy research weren't only for reference, after all.) Unfortunately, Thames couldn't vent out and cool himself off by pouring his soul and anger through art, by the way he was stuck in this _dilemma._

However, an active mind was just as good, and this gave him quite nice suggestions on how to get rid of this _fiend_ that dared to be sick all over him. Thames threw the sniper onto the table while flipping said furniture over, nodding in approval when it rolled on its edge over the sniper back and forth like a pendulum.

He scrunched up his nose while inhaling deeply, holding his breath until his coat was taken off, revealing an equally puke-infected white shirt under which he cursed loudly at. He threw the coat and his satchel to the floor, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a black undershirt that had managed to stay clean, at least. Thames wasn't a neat freak per se, however, he refused to go out like a slob and drenched in someone's meal that went through their esophagus twice. Appearances were his religion.

The albino muttered darkly to himself while he dragged the resident Straw Hats out to the harbor, thinking of various ways to off the pirate who had gotten him in this mess in the first place. The cook was soundly asleep, murmuring sweet nothings to the concrete while he felt it up. Thames held his chin in a contemplative manner before he decided to just drown his victim.

He did promise to drown Sanji the next time he saw him. The albino decided that that time was _now._ Furthermore, it wasn't as if the blond was awake to add his Belis.

Thames wrecked through his brain, searching for the quote his Sensei used to say whenever the albino was passive and just stared at people who were dying and didn't bother to help them out. _Silence is gold...? Spectators are equally guilty?_

Never mind, Thames knew with no doubt that he would botch it up either way.

The albino hoisted the cook over his shoulder as he peered down at the water surface, a reflection of steel eyes staring back up at him. An evil glint appeared in them before Thames flipped the cook's body over the water by rolling him off of his hip, a satisfied smirk on his features when the blond distorted the reflection as he fell in with a loud _Splash!_

However, the sensation of victory and being greatly appeased didn't last long as he heard a familiar and _obnoxious_ stamping behind, closing in on him. The albino braced himself as he whipped his head around, recognizing the large bird that had crashed into him, before Thames found himself in freezing cold water.

He broke the water surface with a gasp, just in time to get a sniper thrown at him and getting pulled down _again_ _._ Thames was positive that the surrounding water got a few grades warmer due to his anger as he kicked himself up to sweet air, a pair of pirates holding onto him in their drunken state before he screamed in frustration. " _Get here you web-less Anas so I can fucking drown you and your potential future spawn–Yes, you, do you fucking see any other fuckers like you_ _fucking_ _around here!?_ "

Sanji coughed up some water before his eyes opened, widening as he let go of Thames and started to kick underwater to keep himself from drowning. "What the hell is going on!?"

"– _Fuck you and your fucking ancestors. I bet my life that the fucked-up gene is dominant when it comes to you,_ ugh–!" Usopp had managed to elbow the albino in the throat during his panicky wake as he trashed in the water before Thames flipped him over to the concrete ground, having enough of _this life_.

"Thames–what are you–", Sanji couldn't finish his sentence before Thames took hold of him and dragged both of them out of the water, seething while doing so. What the albino hated the most right after his Top-five-most-hated-things-list was to cancel his murder plans _and_ rescue his victim/s. He wanted to enjoy the despair before they took their last breath because _he himself_ had done it. Not because there was a potential duck nearby that could be blamed for it.

"Don't. Ask." The albino said between gasps of air where he was lying on the ground, depressed that he couldn't kill _one_ measly cook. _I'm getting rusty and I'm barely 18._

A familiar shout was heard before the trio looked towards the owner of the voice, Thames's eye twitching when the Straw Hat captain ran over to them. _Doomed._

"Sanji, Usopp! You've got no time for swimming, we gotta go!" Luffy seemed to notice Thames only after he had sat up while throwing an agonized look to his slightly wavy reflection in the water.

 _'Sorry, mate'_ , it said before the albino looked away in disgust, betrayed.

"Thames!?" Said person shut his eyes with a grimace, pained by the very sound of Luffy's voice.

"No", he whimpered.

"Where's your stuff?" The cheerful captain asked, looking around for said things.

"No."

"Are you coming with–"

"No." Thames chanted vehemently, barely holding back his tears as he was pulled up to his feet and brought to the Straw Hats' ship, all of his belongings with him before the pirates set sail and absconded. _S_ _o close._

Thames didn't bother showing up on the deck when loud shouts of "Ms. All-Sunday" came outside the galley. He was too saddened by this _whole_ outcome, caressing the scabbard of his nodachi as if he could be reassured by the apparent bloodlust the weapon had for him. He was going to make up for it when the insanity he was subjected to diminished to a tolerable level. Painting it a beautiful rosy shade before he let it slice his enemies.

Thames felt the prick of tears behind his eyelids, gritting his teeth while he inhaled sharply. He'd rather submit to this crew's will than _cry_.

* * *

Is what he thought before. However, at the moment, he couldn't help but wanting to cry his heart out. _Damned pirates._ Thames glared through the spaces his fingers made, still upset.

"She, I can understand", Zoro said while pointing at Ms. Wednesday before his index finger shifted to the subject of his dilemma. "But why is _he_ on the ship again?" It wasn't as if he wanted to! Thames was covering his face with his hands, silently wailing in his little corner of depression before he let out a pathetic whimper that sounded quite similar to "Luffy." Said person blinked rapidly with a wide smile, not seeing the problem at all.

"Oh, because Thames's joining us! The more the merrier, duh!"

"You were supposed to keep your promise as a captain and leave him be", the swordsman reprimanded while crossing his arms, leaning on the railing. "Besides, you can't decide for someone without their permission." Zoro tilted his head towards Thames who had fallen to his knees and hands, hitting the deck with a clenched fist while he cursed fervently.

"It's fine! Anyway, it's better this way." Nami shook her head at Luffy's answer. As if it wasn't enough that she had to explain to two idiots about the sudden departure, now she had to take care of this disaster.

"The only thing that's good is that we didn't leave Thames alone on Whiskey Peak with those bounty hunters", she said as a matter of fact. "It would give me a bad taste if he died on us right after he left Merry." Thames couldn't believe what he was hearing, his jaw clenching while he fumed.

"That just mean he's weak", Zoro pointed out, not noticing the glare aimed towards him. _Me? Weak?_

"But that's why I'm here!" Luffy added his two Belis. He made a surprised yelp when he got a kick to his bum, courtesy of Thames, who was standing menacingly over the rubber man with his sword in his hands.

" _I'll show you who's weak, you fu–_ "

"You smell bad!" Luffy pointed out suddenly, covering his nose with a hand as he sprang up to his feet, headbutting the albino in the chin and accidentally taking another sniff. Thames felt mortified when Luffy stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Like, _really really_ bad!"

"I–" The albino felt the heat radiating from his face as he covered it with his hands, his ears and even his hands revealing his embarrassment.

"Do you bathe at all?" Luffy inquired with a snicker while Usopp approached them and took a sniff himself, dry heaving when the waft entered his nose. The albino was shaking furiously where he stood as he lowered his hands to his sides.

"You smell like puke!" The sniper exclaimed, suddenly struck with fear when Thames's hands hovered over his sword and unsheathed it slowly, the sharp edge a couple of inches away from Usopp's throat.

"What a remarkable nose. To be able to distinguish _your_ bodily functions." Usopp felt his jaw drop as he backed away, his back hitting the railing as he held up his hands in defense.

"M-my what?" Thames pointed at Usopp, then at the stain on his shirt and lastly jabbing a finger right on the top of the sniper's nose.

"Your waste. Your vomit. _Yours._ " Realization hit hard and before the sniper could protest, or at least defend himself, the artist threw the scabbard carelessly onto the deck and thrust the weapon forward, missing his target by a mile. Nami ducked with a squeak and covered her ears when the blade flew past her, not believing the sight in front of her–a scrawny, shorter than her, _stick_ swinging his gigantic sword after Usopp.

"Stay still!" Thames shouted as he slashed with his sword after the skittish sniper, switching the hold of his sword from left to right to avoid cutting the main mast. It was horrible to kill someone on a ship because _sp_ _ace was scarce._

"No way! You want to kill me!" Usopp cried out as he finally decided to use the cook of the ship as his shield, earning an indignant shout from the blond who tried to pry Usopp's steel grip off from him. "A-and get that sword away from me!"

" _My actions are_ _fucking_ _justified. Trust me, I am_ _fucking_ _certified in cutting up people into tiny pieces._ " Thames was relentless with every swing, however, missing each time due to Usopp's dodging skills.

"Gyaaaah!" That did not reassure Usopp as he wailed and scurried off to the next human shield in sight–Zoro, who had taken a slight interest in Thames's swordsmanship. The swordsman made no movement when the sword was raised above them and about to slash them in two when the edge stopped in mid-air. Usopp made a joyful shout as he crawled away from the diminishing danger.

Thames's mouth thinned while he brought the tip of the sword down to his eyes, having a silent conversation with his blade. "Don't be like this. That was _once_ , besides, we're both at fault here." The albino heard the snort and made a quick glance towards Zoro, only now realizing the sheer amount of intensity exuding from him. _Did he_ _just make me stop_ _–what is wrong with these people?_

"U-um..." The sniper said, snapping the albino back to reality with a sour expression as he lowered his blade to his side, his eyes throwing daggers at Usopp. "I'm really sorry–"

"Not really", Thames remarked monotonously, looking around for his scabbard until he spotted it in Luffy's hands.

"I-I am–Not that I remember puking over you–but I'm really–S-Sorry!" Usopp finished with a squeak when he earned a cold glare from the albino.

"Keep your apologies to a minimum. I don't want to hear them." The albino walked over to the Straw Hat captain, reaching out a hand for his scabbard when Luffy held it away from his reach. _Cursed genetics_ _and height disadvantage_ _._

"I don't like it when my Nakama are fighting." Thames gave Luffy an incredulous look while he tilted his head to the right, a stare down between them. "So you should do something about it."

"I faintly remember that these misters", Thames waved with a hand towards a bemused Zoro and Sanji, "fight all the time."

"Really?" _Can it possibly be that he's too fucking stupid–_ _yes._

He didn't have time for this. But he couldn't escape them, so what was he going to do? Kill them? On this _tiny_ ship where he could barely lift his sword without destroying the ship and cutting his chances of survival? Also, that swordsman had some dubious ability he was sure of... Better be their "friends" and _then_ dispose of them. _Yes._ Also, Thames had no idea how to steer a boat...

On another thought, those bounty hunters would most definitely associate him with the Straw Hats, which would end his peaceful traveling. The albino scowled at that, not wanting anymore deviant in his life. _Better cooperate for now._

He let out a resigned breath, earning a grin and a scabbard from Luffy.

"I am yet to be a part of your crew", Thames said icily before he turned around, his eyes landing on Usopp. "However, my actions were a bit hasty. I should have explained before trying to gut you alive." _A lie or two will get you far in life... Not a saying by Sensei, though._

"G-gut me–" Usopp trailed off while the albino sheathed his blade, wary when Thames was still holding onto it with a grip that could easily unleash the weapon in a snap.

"Which I apologize for. Your–" Thames cleared his throat while glancing down at his shirt. "–Have caused me a few dire problems."

"Problems? You mean your lack of wardrobe?" Nami suddenly spoke up, having recovered from the shock. Thames looked away with an apparent blush and tried to hide his lower face behind a collar, remembering his discarded coat a bit too late as he inhaled the smell of doom. _Ugh..._ It wasn't _his_ fault that he didn't bring anything with him! A certain pirate crew just _had to_ take him with them before he could go and buy some clothing. Also, he refused to wear rabbit-infested garments.

"The issue lies in your captain's inadequacy, _miss_." The albino retorted before he blew his bangs away from his face, shaking his head tiredly.

The captain looked expectantly at Thames, his eyes almost sparkling, which was _fucking impossible_ because it was nighttime and _holy fuck_ _they're shining so brightly where_ _are my shades–I don't have any._

"I must be suffering from a heatstroke if I'm really considering joining you", the albino said in defeat to Luffy, who jumped excitedly with a shout. It wasn't a concrete plan by joining and then getting rid of them, but Thames was certain he could pull it off once he deemed the Straw Hats incapable of getting him to the places he needed. Also, if these pirates were going to get rid of the Baroque Works, it would ease his burden by a mile, seeing as he was by now associated with _them_.

Piracy wasn't so hard. He was using them, after all. And if anyone suspected, _death_ _upon_ _them._

"Treat me well, _Captain._ " Luffy laughed.

"Sure!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Don't kill anyone, Thames. Be civil for _once_. Yes, don't kill Usopp. It was an _accident._ Remember that time when I made you hide in a pigsty? Right, it will happen eventually.

Ahh, school's started and I am feeling the lethargy and anxiety eat me up. As well as the depression _but oh well_. Why am **_I_** in my last year of high school? Where is the time turner when you need it ughh-

Anyway, thank you for your support, I'm blown away by the amount of people who has read it _like what actually makes you want to continue reading this?_ I adore you so much!

And I'm also very sorry for the lack of canon-fuckery, it must be tiring with the repeating canon plot... We'll get to it once I've killed off, I mean, in a few chapters more. If you have any suggestions, thoughts, questions or criticism, please let me know! I would love to hear you out!

By the way, does anyone feel that the title is stupid and awkward, if so, (if immensely so), could someone give me some suggestions for a title change? Example: _"Color me fucked",_ wait, _no-not that ugh_

 **-Nart**


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